Businessman on kidnap charge

The Auckland businessman outside the North Shore District Court yesterday. Picture / Dean Purcell

A wealthy Auckland businessman has been charged with the gunpoint kidnapping of another businessman.

The Auckland man, aged 52, was granted name suppression until his next appearance on Thursday Sept 8 when he appeared on five charges in the North Shore District Court yesterday afternoon.

He has been charged jointly with a 43-year-old man who is due to appear for the first time in the Palmerston North District Court next Tuesday. Both men were arrested by detectives early yesterday following a nine-month investigation by the Orewa CIB into a complaint by property developer Kim Spencer.

The men face charges of kidnapping, using a firearm, injuring with intent to injure, and two charges of demanding with menaces. The later two charges allege that Mr Spencer was forced to sign documents which were capable of conferring on another party a share of profits from Mr Spencer's businesses.

Judge Barbara Morris allowed interim name suppression but told the Auckland businessman he would need to file written evidence the day before his next court appearance in support of continued name suppression.

Duty solicitor William Spring, in support of the defendant's request for name suppression, said the man had only just been arrested and suppression was sought to enable the accused to tell his family and for his lawyer, Queen's Counsel Paul Davidson, to be fully apprised.

Remanding the man without plea until September 8, Judge Morris set strict bail conditions, which included that he not communicate with his co-accused, the complainant or members or associates of the Mothers Motorcycle Club of Palmerston North, and that he reside at his home and report to police twice weekly.

The accused, in business trousers and polo top, stood quietly in the dock during his 10min appearance.

Mr Spencer alleges that on November 16 he was lured to a multimillion-dollar Pakiri property he part-owned by a man posing as a potential buyer.

The man had introduced himself as "Peter" and drove a black Mercedes Kompressor. Mr Spencer says that waiting inside a triple garage on the property were four men wearing balaclavas and another man who was not wearing a disguise.

He told the Police Ten 7 television programme that he feared for his life. Two of the men had been armed with pistols and one with a knife.

He told the programme his kidnappers told him his business behaviour was unacceptable. "He [the accused] was basically saying I was going to sign some documents. I was going to tell him what I owned up and down the country, anything and everything."

"I told him where to go ... so I got beaten up [again] ... A few more punches were thrown around again and I got kicked by 'Peter', which cracked a couple of ribs."

Mr Spencer told programme host Graham Bell he decided to sign the documents in order "to get out of this with as little injury as possible".

Mr Bell: "Or even alive?"

Mr Spencer: "That's what it felt like, yes"

Mr Bell: "You thought you could die that day?"

Mr Spencer: "Yes I did."