Trial begins for alleged kidnapping

A trial has begun in Napier for an alleged kidnapping.

A man released from Hawke's Bay Prison headed straight for the home of a former friend to carry out threats he'd made in a letter from the jail, a jury was told in Napier District Court yesterday.

After police intervened the man continued to plot an attack on his former mate, and enlisted the help of another inmate, who enlisted yet another into the scheme and carried out an attack on the man who was allegedly kidnapped, tasered and stomped-on in a bid to stop him giving evidence, it was alleged. The allegations were made as 32-year-old Depak Hanara went on trial with the two others alleged to have become involved.

Hanara pleaded guilty to a charge of sending the threatening letter and also a charge of attempting to pervert the course of justice by trying to coerce a witness into making a false statement or not giving evidence.

He pleaded not guilty to a charge of aggravated burglary in which he was alleged to have entered the complainant's flat while armed with a shank, and one of unlawful possession of the weapon while, along with 44-year-old David Ross Otter, he pleaded not guilty to a charge of conspiring to pervert the course of justice.

Otter and Teariki Tavare Tamoe, also 44, denied unlawfully detaining the complainant, and conspiring to pervert the course of justice, while Tamoe denied two charges of assaulting the complainant with intent to injure, one with Otter as an alleged party.

The trial before Judge Geoff Rea, is expected to last 3-4 days. Crown prosecutors are Steve Manning and Megan Mitchell, while Hanara is represented by Roger Phillip, Otter by Nicola Graham and Tamoe by Leo Lafferty.

The charges relate to events between late October last year and May this year, and evidence includes the letter, recordings and transcripts of 33 authorised phone calls Hanara made from prison, and the shoelace-bound allegedly jail-made shank with which police say Hanara intended to assault the complainant.

Opening the case, Ms Mitchell said Hanara was in jail in October last year when he wrote the letter and threats he made to "scar" the complainant were repeated to others in the phone calls. On November 5, Hanara entered the complainant's flat above shops in Napier's Emerson St shopping precinct while allegedly armed with the shank.

The complainant was at work, but after becoming aware of Hanara's arrival at his flat contacted police who had been alerted to the threats by prison staff, and Hanara was arrested at the flat soon afterwards and returned to jail.

Ms Mitchell said Hanara then "roped-in" fellow inmate Otter to assist him in getting off his new charges, by dissuading the complainant.

In the letter to the complainant, Hanara told of being "angry" that the complainant had been "talking," and said: "I could have been your best friend. Now I will be your worst enemy."

He had said the complainant would feel the "the full brunt of my anger," and that as soon as he was out of jail he would be going to see the complainant, with a friend "to stop me taking things too far." (Proceeding)