A bizarre contest between two men to see who could bear the most pain has left one permanently scarred, the other in jail.
The Christchurch District Court was told yesterday Evan Bardolph Rae, 33, and Mark Sinclair, 38, stubbed cigarettes out on each other and bent fingers back until the pain was unbearable.
When Mr Sinclair collapsed into a drunken slumber and was bound with wire, Rae, a convicted arsonist, set fire to his trousers, inflicting second-degree burns.
Rae set him alight a second time, causing more serious burns that ended with Mr Sinclair screaming in agony and spending three days in hospital, undergoing skin grafts and weeks of painful treatment.
Rae pleaded guilty to wounding with reckless disregard and was jailed for two years and three months.
Mr Sinclair was described as schizophrenic with mental impairment that resulted in him being easily led. On May 23 he went to Rae's home for a drinking session that led to the pain contest.
Defence lawyer Bridget Airey said Rae hadn't intended any cruelty to his friend. "This was a spontaneous act."
Judge Gary MacAskill said: "I accept that you are remorseful [but] anyone with any degree of intelligence would have understood the extremely high risk of injury."
- NZPA
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