Guilty verdict in Invercargill builder kidnapping, robbery case

Invercargill District Court. Photo / File

A man has been found guilty of kidnapping and aggravated robbery of a builder in Invercargill.

William Taranaki Taingahue Rangi, 42, was found guilty by a jury after they deliberated for about two hours.

During his summing up yesterday, Judge Duncan Harvey talked jurors through a question trail they would need to follow to find Rangi guilty or not guilty.

There were six elements for the kidnapping charge and seven for the aggravated robbery charge they would have to answer yes to, to find him guilty.

In his opening on Monday, Crown lawyer Mike Brownlie presented the Crown case, saying Rangi had lured the complainant to the house under false pretences on December 10, 2020, saying he wanted a quote for a deck.

The Crown’s case was that Rangi had learnt about a dispute the complainant was having about the renovation of a bathroom and had told the homeowner he could sort it out for $1000.

“The defendant told [the homeowner] he knew someone in the Mongrel Mob and he could get his money back for him,” Brownlie said.

After he had been lured to the property, the man was taken to the garage where Mongrel Mob member Rewai Taylor was also present.

The complainant was threatened by both men with hedge clippers, both kidnappers saying they were going to cut his toes off. Threats were also made about his family.

He was made to access his banking app on his phone so the pair could take $2000 from the complainant’s account.

The money went from the complainant’s account to Taylor’s account, then to the bank account of Taylor’s brother’s partner.

The defence case presented by Sonia Vidal was that the complainant owed a drug debt to Taylor and Rangi’s only involvement on the day was to discuss the botched bathroom renovation and ask that the complainant put it right.

He had not threatened the complainant and had not been present when the money was transferred out of the complainant’s account.

The judge remanded Rangi on bail to appear for sentencing at 10am on December 16. He called for a pre-sentence report and updated victim impact statement.