Jacob Mills Ramsay was found dead at a South Taranaki property on July 31, 2022. Photo / Supplied
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
The final moments of a young farmworker’s life saw him brutally beaten into unconsciousness at the hands of his colleagues before being chained to the back of a vehicle and dragged nearly 1km across a gravel tanker track. His lifeless body was then dumped into a manmade rubbish pit.
“This piece of s***’s not going anywhere,” William Mark Candy said before he grabbed a short length of chain with a carabiner on the end.
As Candy, 39, fastened the chain around Jacob Mills Ramsay’s ankle he said to the 33-year-old father of three: “You’re going on a trip down to the hole,” referring to a rubbish pit used to dispose of farm waste.
He then jumped behind the wheel of the car and began to drive, dragging Ramsay’s “limp and floppy” body across the track.
Ramsay was found dead two days later, on July 31 this year, at the rural Upper Kina Rd property in Oaonui, South Taranaki.
Candy, Ethan Webster, and a third person were all charged with his murder.
Last week, Candy and Webster, 18, appeared before Justice Andru Isac in the High Court at New Plymouth, where they pleaded guilty to murder. Candy also admitted a charge of kidnapping in relation to Ramsay.
Today, Justice Isac released the summary of the offending, subject to elements of it being suppressed.
The 10-page document reveals the horrific details of how Ramsay’s life came to an end over an alleged debt, only weeks before his wife Sarah was due to deliver the couple’s third child.
Candy and Webster were workers on the same Oaonui dairy farm as Ramsay. While the two offenders had been in their roles for about three years, Ramsay’s employment had only begun about one month before his death.
The large dairy farm had multiple paddocks and all three men were provided with their own farmhouses.
During the course of his short employment, Ramsay allegedly racked up a debt with the offenders, owing them an undisclosed sum of money.
On the evening of July 29, Ramsay was in Oakura, about a 30-minute drive from the farm.
There, he texted another farmworker asking to be picked up and driven home.
When Candy got wind of the communication, he instructed the farmworker to continue messaging Ramsay so he could find him and confront him about the alleged money owed.
Candy soon located Ramsay at the Oakura cemetery and immediately punched him in the face and pushed him down a grass bank.
Ramsay’s prescription glasses came off during this initial assault and were later found by police.
As Ramsay attempted to defend himself, Candy launched a savage attack, raining blows upon his victim while wrestling him to the ground.
He overpowered Ramsay, kneeling on his chest while continuing to punch him.
A member of the public who overheard the assault approached the scene and asked what was going on. This didn’t stop Candy, who continued to beat Ramsay while accusing him of stealing money and “ruining the farm”.
The witness told Candy to get off Ramsay, which he did, but he continued to kick him as he lay helpless on the ground.
Fearing for their own safety and due to Candy’s level of aggression, the witness didn’t physically intervene.
Shortly after, Candy grabbed Ramsay around the waist and began forcing him into the car. But Ramsay broke free and tried to run away before being caught by Candy within 10m.
“Get in the bloody car,” Candy repeatedly told him.
Once in the car, Ramsay was driven back to the farm while being periodically assaulted by Candy.
He was no longer resisting and was leaning against the passenger door in a semi-conscious state.
About 7.15pm, Candy pulled into the farm where Webster was awaiting their arrival.
Ramsay was now unconscious. Candy shoved his body from the car and onto the ground.
“The victim’s eyes were closed and he was limp and floppy,” the summary stated.
Webster grabbed Ramsay by the throat and delivered a number of blows to his head, only stopping when he thought he had broken his hand.
Candy kicked the victim and Webster began stomping on his head.
“Get his money’s worth now boy,” Candy said to Webster, who responded: “Yip, scummy piece of shit.”
The two men beat Ramsay for a further 10 minutes. At one point, a witness pleaded for them to stop and implored them to take the seriously injured man to the hospital.
“F*** that, this piece of s***’s not going anywhere,” Candy said. That’s when he fetched the chain and tied Ramsay to the back of the vehicle.
The witness told him what he was doing was wrong but Candy advised them to back off or they’d “be next”.
After slowly driving forward, he stopped the vehicle and Webster jumped into the passenger seat.
“You don’t want to be in here for this, this is serious s***. He might be dead by the time we get to the end of the track,” Candy warned Webster.
But Webster remained in the car and for about 900m, Ramsay was dragged by his ankle down a gravel tanker track and across a muddy paddock.
The two men then detached the chain from the back of the car and pulled Ramsay at least another 20m to the edge of the rubbish pit where they dumped his body.
Ramsay was bleeding profusely and the skin on the rear of his head had been torn off down to his skull, giving the appearance that he had been “scalped”, the summary detailed.
He sustained a host of injuries, including numerous fractures and abrasions to his entire back and buttocks. An autopsy determined he died as a result of multiple blunt-force injuries.
Following an investigation, Candy, Webster and a third person were arrested.
Candy told police that Ramsay owed him money and that he had given the victim “the worst hiding he has ever dished out”. He did not recall towing him behind the car.
Candy and Webster are currently remanded in custody and will be sentenced on March 6.
The third person has pleaded not guilty to murder, wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, kidnapping and burglary.
They will face a High Court trial next year.
The circumstances around the death are being treated as unexplained.