Denise Piper/Stuff
The man was sentenced in the High Court in Whangārei for nine charges. (File photo)
A man who was involved in a gang crime spree in Northland has been sentenced to three years and six months in prison.
The man was sentenced in the High Court in Whangārei on Thursday for a total of nine charges, for offending in 2020.
Key details about the case, including the man’s name, the names of his co-accused and the victims’ names are suppressed.
The key offending was taking in the aggravated robbery and kidnapping of a young Northlander, who now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, the court heard.
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The man was also sentenced on two charges of unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawfully possessing ammunition, participation in an organised criminal gang, two charges of arson and one of accessory after the fact.
His lawyer Tim Briathwaite said the man was unwittingly prospecting for the gang, after gang members protected him from violence in prison for unrelated charges.
Chris McKeen/Stuff
Justice Grant Powell gave the man discounts for his guilty pleas and genuine remorse. (File photo)
“He found it very hard to get out of that role.”
Justice Grant Powell agreed the man was prospecting and had a lessor role in the offending because of his lower importance in the gang structure.
The judge took a starting point of 10 years in prison, then gave discounts including for genuine remorse, commitment to rehabilitation and guilty pleas.
