Mongrel Mob members (from left) Tana Ormsby-Turner, Terrence Brown and Manis Taueki-Watson appear in Auckland’s North Shore District Court for sentencing after attacking one of their own in prison. Composite photo / Jason Dorday and Craig Kapitan
It took Corrections officers at Auckland’s high-security prison two hours on a Thursday morning last July to realise a prisoner had been savagely beaten while in an exercise yard monitored by CCTV.
The Mongrel Mob member, who had been betrayed by three supposed allies in his own gang, had his head stomped and kicked repeatedly, to the point of unconsciousness. He was then put in a chokehold by a former high-profile murder defendant until he started spasming.
Details of the disconcerting scene were shared in North Shore District Court recently as co-defendants Manis Terii Taueki-Watson, Terrence Morgan Brown and Tana Ormsby-Turner appeared for back-to-back sentencing hearings.
Judge Anna Fitzgibbon lengthened each of the defendants’ existing sentences by varying degrees depending on their involvement in the attack.
Court documents state the victim was lulled into a false sense of security after waving to the trio in the exercise yard around 9am. A short time later, he was twice hit in the head with blindside punches from one of the men, followed by another man pushing him to the ground. The third defendant immediately started stomping on his head.
“The victim covered his head with his hands and was in a foetal position to protect himself,” court documents state. “Brown began jumping up and down on the victim, using the dip bar to get higher and more force, while Taueki-Watson continued kicking the victim in the head.”
Ormsby-Turner then dragged the victim, who was still in the foetal position, to the middle of the yard while the other two kicked. The group then tried to pry his arms and legs open but were unable to do so. Ormsby-Turner instead lifted the victim and slammed him onto the concrete, according to the summary of facts that all defendants agreed to.
After a continued barrage of kicks and punches, the victim started to put down his guard as he dropped “in and out of consciousness with blood streaming from his face”.
Ormsby-Turner lifted him by his shirt to waist height before “rag-dolling” him face-first into the concrete three times. He then jumped on the back of the other man’s head with both feet.
“Ormbsy then rolled the victim who was still unconscious, putting him into a choke hold [and] wrapping his legs around his body,” court documents state.
“The victim’s legs began flailing. Brown grabbed the victim’s legs, pinning them down to the floor to stop the flailing.”
The assault finished when Taueki-Watson tapped Ormsby-Turner on the shoulder. Ormsby-Turner got in one more kick to the victim’s head as he lay limp on his back with his arm spasming.
“Taueki-Watson and Ormsby filled up water bottles, cleaning the pool of blood as the victim lay helpless on the floor,” documents state. “The victim lay for about a minute and a half before slowly making it to his feet.
“As he stood, his legs could not support his body weight properly. He limped, stumbling into the wall to keep him upright.”
It was not discussed in court why it took so long for prison staff to realise the man had been attacked. It was noted, however, that he did not suffer permanent or lasting injury despite two black eyes and a swollen face.
Each defendant faced up to seven years’ imprisonment, tacked on to the end of their existing sentences, after pleading guilty to wounding with intent to injure.
Of the three attackers, Ormsby-Turner, 20, was described by prosecutor Samara Wakefield as the most violent.
“He was the instigator,” she said.
Ormsby-Turner was already serving a sentence of two years and 10 months’ imprisonment for his participation in a Taranaki killing. He was charged with murder in August 2022 when, at the age of 16, he repeatedly hit Rei Marshall, a prospect for a rival gang, in the head with a claw hammer.
He later pleaded guilty after his charges were reduced to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and being an accessory after the fact to murder. A High Court at New Plymouth judge initially ordered home detention, but the sentence was overturned in lieu of a prison term by the Court of Appeal.
The defendant’s older brother, Turanganui John “TJ” Ormsby-Turner, was president of the Mongrel Mob West Coast chapter. He was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum period of imprisonment of 10 and a half years for having fatally stabbed the victim with a hunting knife during the same attack.
During the recent prison attack sentencing, defence lawyer Jacqueline Rempe asked that her client receive 15% in reductions for his youth and for engaging in one-on-one psychological counselling.
Judge Fitzgibbon settled on an end sentence of two years and five months after factoring in uplifts and discounts, citing the extreme violence, serious injury and attacks to the head.
Lawyers for the other two defendants both said their clients were remorseful for the parts they played.
“It was not supposed to go that far,” Brown, 27, said in an interview with authorities prior to the sentencing. “I just got carried away.”
Brown had been looking forward to a June 1 release date on his existing charges, but the judge added two years to the sentence. He’s also awaiting sentencing in Wellington for an unrelated charge.
Judge Fitzgibbon cited an extensive criminal history dating back to 2016.
“You haven’t addressed your propensity for violence,” she said.
The judge noted that Brown had shown violent tendencies as early as age 6, but she also acknowledged his diagnoses for autism, ADHD, Tourette’s syndrome and borderline intellectual functioning.
His childhood was chaotic, due in part to his family’s affiliation with the Mongrel Mob, but he’s already received substantial discounts for those factors at previous sentencings, the judge noted.
Taueki-Watson, believed to have meted out the least amount of violence of the three, had one year and eight months added to his existing sentence.
His father, who travelled from Palmerston North for the hearing, gave an impassioned speech to the judge describing him as an intelligent person who has “great potential with the right guidance”. The 33-year-old speaks fluent te reo Māori, attended private schools and performed kapa haka on the national stage, the father said as his voice quivered.
“I don’t want my son to be broken by the prison system,” he said. “We as a whānau will do whatever it takes to support him.”
Taueki-Watson was already serving a sentence of four years and 10 months’ imprisonment, imposed by the New Plymouth District Court in March 2023, for sexually assaulting a stranger in her home.
He and a 15-year-old had shown up at the home looking to collect a debt. When the victim said the person they were looking for wasn’t there, Taueki-Watson followed her inside and sat beside her on the couch.
He exposed himself and demanded oral sex as his underage co-defendant watched. Afterwards, the duo took $135 from her handbag, then went through the house, taking some items and destroying others.
“I’m sorry for ruining your life,” he later wrote in a letter to the woman read aloud in court. “I’m sorry for coming over to your house with a patch on. If I could go back in time and change it, I would.
“I’m a Mongrel Mob member that has a heart.”
Defence lawyer Kim Holden pointed out at the recent North Shore sentencing that her client stopped participating in the attack after about 40 seconds.
He then helped stop the violence by tapping his co-defendant, who was choking the victim, she noted.
“He could have been killed but I stopped that from happening,” Taueki-Watson earlier told authorities.
The defendant asked to address the judge directly, moved by seeing for the first time in his life his father shed tears. He said he ended up being placed into a neighbouring cell to the victim and he had apologised in person.
“He [the victim] didn’t want us to go to court today,” the defendant claimed to the judge. “It’s the system and the prison that charged us.”
As at his previous sentencing, Taueki-Watson said he wished he could take it all back.
“I’m sorry. I am sorry,” he repeated. “I take accountability.”
The judge allowed a 5% reduction for his remorse. Prior to the hearing, he had been slated for release from prison in May next year.
Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.
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