By PATRICK GOWER
A man who was kidnapped and had his ear hacked off was beaten so badly that he is struggling to recollect the night of horror.
His abductors took him from his Hamilton home, bound his hands, gagged him and covered his face in a mask.
They then beat him repeatedly before finally cutting off his ear and letting him go.
The 26-year-old was found screaming for help on a farm at Mangateparu, near Morrinsville, on Saturday morning.
His hands were bound and blood was pouring from his ear wound.
Detective Sergeant Peter Hikaka, of Hamilton, said that the man was subjected to a prolonged beating that had left him traumatised and confused.
"The incident in itself was brutal enough, without the disfigurement caused by the severing of the ear," he told the Herald.
"To make things worse, he does not know why or by whom."
An initial police reconstruction showed the man was abducted at 2.30 am on Saturday from his home in Hamilton, which he moved to from Christchurch last month.
"For three hours he was driven around, stopped, then given another beating and another kicking before it would start again," Detective Sergeant Hikaka said.
"All he would have been thinking is, 'When is this going to end and how'?"
The man was pulled from the car 35km away in Herbert Rd, a deserted, no-exit, rural road in Mangateparu.
He was then beaten with an iron bar.
His abductors ripped off his mask, and severed his ear.
About 6 am, the man stumbled away and when he found a farm worker nearby, the alarm was raised.
Detective Sergeant Hikaka said the man was slowly regathering himself, and had begun to make progress as he recalled details of the abduction.
"There was alcohol involved, he was unconscious for a lot of the time and had genuine fears for his life. It is only fair that he is a little bit confused right now."
Police are seeking anyone who saw a white hatchback vehicle on the lonely road between 5.30 am and 6 am, the time of the final attack.
A man aged 20 to 23 was seen standing by the driver's door of the car, which was similar to a Mazda 323.
Detective Sergeant Hikaka said the police feared for the beaten man's safety.
He was being constantly monitored by a member of the eight-man inquiry team, while medical treatment continued.
Ear victim struggles to remember horror
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