Hawke’s Bay Black Power members jailed for demanding car or money from man leaving the gang

The victim wanted to put his family ahead of gang life.

A young father who wanted to put his wife and children first and leave the Black Power gang was told how much it would cost him - $20,000 or his utility vehicle.

The demand was made on him by two gang members who visited the man, his pregnant wife and preschool-aged children at his remote Hawke’s Bay home late one night.

The man was assaulted and threatened with a rifle before the family locked themselves in a bedroom and called the police.

The man, whose name is suppressed, wished to leave Black Power because he “chose to put his young family ahead of his involvement with the gang”, a court has been told.

He also no longer wanted to be involved with the violence associated with gang membership.

The victim managed to keep his money and his vehicle - police turned up and arrested the men who had menaced him.

Patched Black Power members Michael Connor, 36, and Henderson Momoisea, 42, appeared in the Napier District Court for sentencing, for demanding with menaces and other charges associated with the nighttime attack.

Judge Richard Earwaker jailed Connor for three years and one month. He sent Momoisea to prison for three years and two months.

A Crown summary of facts said the two gang members turned up at the family’s property about 9.50pm on Friday, July 21 last year.

They went inside a cabin which was separate from the main house, and occupied by a mutual acquaintance of the gang members and victim. When the father left the house and went to the cabin, Connor told him: “You cannot leave the gang.”

Connor then punched the father in the face and body repeatedly, as Momoisea told him “those are our colours”, in relation to gang regalia the victim said he had already handed back.

“While in the cabin, Mr Connor told [the victim] that he owed them $20,000 or his ute, as he couldn’t leave the gang without making a payment,” the summary of facts said.

As Connor kept the victim in the cabin, the cabin’s occupant was told to “get the gun”.

He went to the main house and spoke to the victim’s wife, telling her the gang members wanted the key to the ute, or they would “take [the victim] out”.

Wife hands over keys

The woman handed over the keys to the vehicle and the cabin’s occupant picked up a .22-calibre rifle which was on the property, taking it back to the cabin and giving it to Connor.

Connor then pointed the rifle at the victim, who managed to run out of the cabin and back to the house.

As he did so, he looked back and saw Connor aiming the rifle towards him.

Fearing for his life, the victim ran into the house and locked himself, his wife and children in the bedroom.

His wife called the police just after 10pm.

For the next 40 minutes, until police arrived, Connor and Momoisea were banging on the house windows and trying to get the man to come out of the locked room.

One of them yelled out: “Get the f*** outside, otherwise I will kick the door!”

The victim’s wife could see what was happening outside via CCTV cameras which had been installed after Cyclone Gabrielle because of the fear of looters in the area.

“She saw Mr Momoisea holding the firearm while standing at the bottom of the house steps. He was holding the firearm up and pointing it at the CCTV camera,” the summary said.

“She saw Mr Connor trying to get inside the house via the door. She then saw Mr Connor enter the house a number of times.”

While inside the house, Connor yelled several times for the victim to leave the room.

Police arrive

When police arrived, Connor and Momoisea were still there.

Connor was found outside the main house.

Momoisea was located in a nearby orchard, where he had fled.

The firearm was found nearby.

Two years ago, Henderson Momoisea was in court for assaulting a woman with whom he had a short relationship so violently he broke her arm. He was sentenced to 10 months of home detention.

In 2007, Momoisea was jailed for four years for aggravated robbery, wounding with intent and injuring with intent after a home invasion described in court as a drug robbery which went horribly wrong.

Ric Stevens spent many years working for the former New Zealand Press Association news agency, including as a political reporter at Parliament, before holding senior positions at various daily newspapers. He joined NZME’s Open Justice team in 2022 and is based in Hawke’s Bay. His writing in the crime and justice sphere is informed by four years of front-line experience as a probation officer.