An Auckland man was kidnapped, tied to a chair and tortured for hours. Photo / 123RF stock image
An Auckland man was kidnapped, tied to a chair and tortured for hours. Photo / 123RF stock image
An Auckland man was kidnapped and tortured for hours - his pinky finger cut off with secateurs, both feet shot and his naked body burned with a blowtorch while he was tied up and gagged.
His attackers believed he had robbed another person of "thousands of dollars" and tried variousforms of physical torture - including burning his eyes with cigarettes, urinating on him and beating him - over a two hour period to get him to tell them where the stolen money was.
Following the brutal attack last November five men were arrested and charged.
Two of them - Henry Enoka Kea and Liam Hourigan - have pleaded guilty to a raft of charges and will be sentenced next month.
Kea and Hourigan each face up to 14 years in prison for kidnapping, aggravated robbery, unlawful possession of a pistol, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, threatening to kill, assault with a blunt weapon and injuring with intent to injure.
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Two other men allegedly involved reject the Crown's version of events and will defend their position at trial.
On November 20, Hourigan went to a store in West Auckland and purchased a length of red rope and latex rubber gloves.
That night he contacted the victim on via social media and asked to meet him at a New Lynn address.
The victim arrived and Hourigan greeted him and invited him into the house.
Kea and the other alleged offenders were waiting inside.
The victim was physically restrained and held on the ground.
He was overpowered by his attackers and his clothing was removed.
His phone, car keys and wallet - containing $500 in cash - were stolen.
Hourigan fetched a "cut down .22 calibre rifle" fitted with a silencer sound suppressor and pointed it at the victim before he pressed the muzzle to the back of his head.
The victim was also urinated on as he was repeatedly told to "face the ground".
Hourigan accused the victim of robbing another person and owing thousands of dollars.
He ordered the victim to tell him where the money was - threatening him with more physical abuse if he refused.
"Mr Hourigan threatened to burn [the victim] alive and further threatened to removed [his] penis," the summary outlined.
"During this assault [the victim] sustained bruising and swelling about the head and body as well as a laceration above his eye."
The men used secateurs to remove their victim's pinky finger. Photo / NZME stock
The victim was then carried to his own car, pushed into the back footwell and driven to a property at Whenuapai - the attackers punching and kicking him as they travelled.
"Mr Hourigan took the secateurs and held [the victim's] left pinky finger… [then] cut cleanly through [the victim's] finger causing permanent amputation," the document explained.
"[The victim] genuinely believed the offenders were going to kill him."
Police charged the men with a raft of alleged offences after the victim escaped. Photo / NZME stock
The victim was beaten around the head and body repeatedly over the next few hours and told he was going to be burned alive.
Lit cigarettes were used to burn his eyelids and shoulder.
"In the early hours of 22 November 2019 [the victim] heard the sounds of sirens nearby to his location," the summary stated.
"The offenders began to clean the area and untied [him]."
"[he] pushed at [the driver's] face causing the driver to brake heavily on Fruitvale Road, New Lynn and bring the vehicle to a halt.
"[The victim] exited the vehicle on Fruitvale Road and ran towards traffic.. [he was] located by a concerned member of the public and transported for medical treatment."
As a result of the kidnapping and subsequent assault the victim received medical treatment and surgery for concussion; open flame burns to his hand, arm, back, feet and chest; gunshot wounds to both feet and his amputated finger.
When arrested Hourigan and Kea declined to comment to police.
