A Head Hunters member has been sentenced for dragging his pet Staffordshire cross (example photo only) an estimated 800 metres down an Auckland street while tied to the tow bar of the man's car. Photos / NZME and Supplied
There appears to be a “glimmer of hope” that a Head Hunter with a long criminal history is finally taking positive steps to turn his life around, a judge noted as he showed the man mercy at his sentencing hearing.
But the gang member’s newfound motivation came at a steep price: his family’s beloved dog.
The man, who can’t yet be named pending an unrelated trial, was charged with animal cruelty last year after fleeing from police at 100km/h in a 50km/h zone while his Staffy cross was tied to the back tow bar.
The pet had to be euthanised after suffering extensive injuries, including burn marks and loss of skin where it had been dragged.
“I have got photos of that animal if you wish to see them, Your Honour, but I recommend that we don’t,” police prosecutor Steven Newton told Judge Simon Lance in the Auckland District Court hearing, describing the incident as “a traumatic experience for the general public”.
The judge, who pointed out that he is also a dog owner, agreed photos weren’t necessary.
Court documents state the man, who has almost 140 prior convictions, was at the Stonefield’s shopping centre car park in Mt Wellington one Friday morning in June 2024 when he saw police and fled at speed in his Mazda Alexa.
“The dog was dragged along Ngahue Drive for approximately 800 metres before it was detached due to the speed and the manner of driving,” the agreed summary of facts states.
The officers lost sight of the vehicle but later found it parked on a nearby road, abandoned.
The man was also sentenced during the same hearing last week for a September 2023 confrontation at an East Auckland steak house in which he eye-gouged a waiter before sitting back down to finish his drink.
The defendant, wearing what was described as an intimidating Head Hunters-branded T-shirt, engaged the waiter in small talk after he and his partner were seated in an outside area of the Pakuranga restaurant.
But the situation quickly, and inexplicably, went south after the employee returned to the table and the defendant asked to shake his hand.
“The defendant retracted his hand at the last minute. He did the same thing twice more,” the agreed facts state. “On the third occasion, the victim poked the defendant’s palm.”
The defendant then gripped the other man’s hand and stood up, pushing him forcefully against the bar.
“I’m going to break your f***ing finger,” he announced as he grabbed the victim’s pinky and tried to force it down.
“I’ll poke your eye,” he then added as he made good on the prediction, pushing his thumb against the man’s eye for about five seconds.
He pushed the man away again and finished his drink before leaving the restaurant.
Defence lawyer Fred Choi pointed out that, while the restaurant incident certainly wasn’t a good look for his client, the victim described a pain level of four out of 10 and there were no physical injuries reported.
As for the injuries to his client’s pet, Choi described it as a horrible accident.
“[He] had no ill intentions of wanting to harm his dog,” Choi said, describing the incident as springing from a “split-second decision” to run from police while high on methamphetamine and knowing he had a warrant out for his arrest.
In his haste, he had forgotten his pet was tied to the vehicle, the defence lawyer said.
“When the adrenaline subsided and he realised what he had done, he was overburdened with guilt,” he said.
Choi asked for his client to receive a conviction and discharge, pointing out that the cruelty to animals charge his client pleaded guilty to has a maximum possible sentence of one year’s imprisonment.
When considering the lack of malice and his client’s guilty pleas, paired with his recent strides at a Grace Foundation rehab centre, there wasn’t a need for a custodial sentence, he said.
An electronically monitored sentence would also mean little, he argued, because his client will remain on restrictive electronically monitored bail conditions until his next trial, which is over six months away.
“There’s not a lot I can do,” the judge agreed.“You’ve got bigger fish to fry, it seems.”
The defendant watched the hearing via audio-video feed from another courthouse in an area outside of Auckland where he remains in rehab. He was joined by a representative of the rehab and had letters of support from counsellors who described him as having been engaged with the rehabilitative process.
In a letter to the court, he said he now “hopes that he can start building a positive, productive life for him and his whānau”.
A pre-sentence report, however, suggested a sentence of imprisonment. Police concurred.
The prosecutor also asked for an order under the Animal Welfare Act that the defendant be barred from owning any future pets.
Judge Lance agreed to a two-year ban on dog ownership but decided jail was unnecessary for the current set of charges.
“I accept that this was a mistake, it was an accident,” the judge told the defendant. “There was nothing sadistic about what you did.”
He recounted the defendant’s explanation that he had stopped at the shops to purchase food from Tank and his pet had unexpectedly leapt out of the car to follow him. He then attached the lead to the tow bar without much thought to give the dog some fresh air while he went inside, he said.
“I’ve been a dog owner. I’ve done that myself before,” the judge said.
“I accept ... you are heartbroken and so are your family about the loss of what was a family pet. You live with it every day.”
Judge Lance ordered one year of intensive supervision for the defendant, adding: “I think you are due a little bit of respite.”
He encouraged the defendant to keep at his rehabilitative efforts, noting that had he not been under the influence of methamphetamine that day it’s less likely he would have forgotten about his dog.
There’s a “glimmer of hope”, he said, that “things are starting to move in a positive direction for you”.
“I hope things continue to progress for you.”
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.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.