A wave of sadistic violence

Judge Roy Wade spoke out this week against a wave of sadistic violence in South Auckland. He singled out these two cases:

THE STOVETOP

Dressed as members of the police Armed Offenders Squad, three masked men used a sledgehammer to smash the front door and force their way into an Auckland home.

Wielding a shotgun and an imitation pistol, Floyd Te Tai and Neil Kevin Paul got the six members of the Pakuranga family into one room, where Justin Nanai gagged and bound them with grey tape.

Paul took the 42-year-old father into the kitchen and forced him onto the stove top, which he turned on.

Still bound and gagged, the man struggled as Paul forced the pistol's barrel into his stomach, before punching him in the head.

Demanding money and valuables, Paul punched and kicked the man, then slashed him with a kitchen knife.

While the father screamed in agony, Nanai guarded the rest of the family while Te Tai loaded shells into the shotgun to frighten them.

Neighbours heard the commotion of the home invasion and the police arrived as the three men were fleeing.

Te Tai pointed the shotgun at one constable and the men drove off.

However, the car drove straight through an intersection and crashed into a lamp-post.

The trio split up and police dogs later found items of police or military origin, including bullet-proof vests.

Paul evaded the police for a year after the September 2006 incident but was sentenced in July this year to 11 years in prison, with a minimum non-parole period of 7 years. The other two were each sentenced to nine years' imprisonment.

All for $2000 and a cellphone.

THE CHAINSAW

As soon as the young man walked through the front door, a bag was put over his head and he was punched in the face. Dazed, he was pushed to the ground to lie on his stomach, hands bound with nylon rope.

He had been lured to the Manukau address in March 2008 by Renee Juanita Cook - just 22 at the time - and was beaten with such force by Kerry Steedman, that his ankle and shin were broken.

Hands rummaged through his jeans, taking $260 cash, two eftpos cards, his passport and a cellphone.

During the assault, Cook had waited outside. Now, she came in and took one of the bank cards and the false PIN number the victim had supplied. Wrong move. Cook drove to a nearby ATM where she discovered the deception and called Steedman back at the house.

That's when the chainsaw came out. The victim heard the machine start up, then it was pushed on to the back of his neck and he felt the teeth cutting into his skin.

Terrified for his safety, he divulged the correct password and Cook withdrew $300. Still lying on the ground, the man was told to front up with $5000 in exchange for his life. Unable to come up with that amount, he offered his 1986 Nissan instead.

Suffering broken bones, cuts and bruises, he was pushed into the front seat of his car and driven home. Told not to call the police, he watched as his car was driven away.

Last month, Steedman was sentenced to nine years and three months' imprisonment, while Cook was jailed for six years.