Town lives in shame of its young Judge

The whole of Murupara must live in shame and despair at the behaviour of its young people, a judge said yesterday.
Justice Ailsa Duffy made the comment in the High Court at Rotorua on Friday while sentencing a 21-year-old Murupara man on charges of injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, injury with intent to injure and participating in an organised criminal group, the Tribesmen gang.
She jailed Jerry Merriman for 5 years on the first charge and 18 months each on the latter two charges. The sentences are to be served concurrently.
Merriman had earlier pleaded guilty to each count.
Justice Duffy noted the Tribesmen and Mongrel Mob gangs were bitter rivals in the Murupara area, with both factions being territorial. When one gang saw another wearing its colours in what they considered to be their territory, violence erupted.
Murupara Tribesmens' colours are yellow, the Kawerau Mongrel Mob's red.
The mother of one of Merriman's victims, Wiremu Hiko, had made a plea for the town's gang activity to be denounced.
"It seems to me the whole community of Murupara must live in shame and despair at the way their young men are behaving," Justice Duffy said.
Merriman's parents had tried to get him out of Murupara and away from "negative influences". Their efforts had been unsuccessful and after spending time in jail he returned to Murupara, spending his days drinking and smoking cannabis.
"You have now said you felt terrible when you later saw how young some of the victims were and the extent of their injuries," Justice Duffy said. Merriman had claimed the Tribesman gang had recruited him because he was a good fighter. "It seems gang association is almost inevitable if you are a young person who resides in Murupara," Justice Duffy said.
Describing events surround Merriman's offending, Rotorua Crown prosecutor Fletcher Pilditch said there had been a string of serious incidents in Murupara involving violent, gang-related confrontations.
Two youths had died and others had been seriously injured.
The gang clash in which Merriman was involved in October last year was one of these.
"There has been a cycle of gang-related offending occurring in a small community of 2000 people which must concern the court," Mr Pilditch said.
It was usual for blunt instruments to be used as weapons in the clashes. A police officer who arrived at the fight scene saw Merriman carrying an axe. His principal victim, Mr Hiko, had suffered injuries "towards the more serious end of the scale". His second victim, Norton Taoho, had received blows to his head.
Defence counsel Peter Birks submitted there had been an element of "mutuality" in the events.
Since it occurred there had been intensive negotiations and a conciliation process was underway in Murupara to prevent further gang-related violence. Merriman had written a letter of apology which he asked be passed on to his victims' families.
Merriman had been charged as a party to the injury with intent to injure charge relating to Mr Taoho. Two of his co-offenders had been acquitted at trial but the jury had been unable to reach a verdict in relation to the third who is to be re-tried.