Whanganui Black Power president Damien Shane Kuru (left) and Sergeant at Arms Gordon Anthony Runga appear in the High Court at Whanganui for sentencing for the death of a rival gang member in 2018.
Whanganui Black Power president Damien Shane Kuru (left) and Sergeant at Arms Gordon Anthony Runga appear in the High Court at Whanganui for sentencing for the death of a rival gang member in 2018.
Four Black Power members jailed for the killing of a rival Mongrel Mob member have been told it's unlikely they can be released to return to their home town.
Last week Whanganui Black Power president Damien Shane Kuru, the chapter's sergeant at arms Gordon Anthony Runga and gang members Sheldon Rogerson and Damien Charles Fantham-Baker appeared before the Parole Board for the first time since they were jailed.
Justice Rebecca Ellis sentenced Kuru, 42, to five years and two months' imprisonment, Runga, 38, to seven years, Fantham-Baker, 33, to five years and 10 months and Rogerson, 36, to six-and-a-half years in the High Court at Whanganui in February.
Kevin Neihana Ratana, a patched Mongrel Mob member, was shot dead on his front lawn in broad daylight on a residential street in the Castlecliff area of Whanganui on the morning of August 21, 2018.
Parole was denied for all four, with the board noting none of them had completed any rehabilitation and all remained an undue risk.
It had been made clear by the board to the men involved in the killing it was very unlikely they would be released to return to Whanganui but no final decision on appropriate locations had been made.
Mongrel Mob member and father-of-two Kevin "Kastro" Ratana was shot dead on a suburban Whanganui street by members of Black Power in August 2018.
Kuru, who Justice Ellis noted didn't have any involvement in planning the attack or in its execution, could be the exception though but the Board said it would need further information.
"Submissions have been made to us that Mr Kuru has played a major part in the improvement of gang behaviour in Whanganui.
"If that is to be the basis on which he proposes to be released to Whanganui, we would need far more information than we currently have about the advantages and disadvantages of such a proposal."
The board noted Fantham-Baker, Rogerson and Runga all currently had security classifications of high.
Fantham-Baker had tested positive for drugs, had 13 misconducts against him and had been charged with assault and threatening behaviour since his arrest in 2018 but his behaviour had significantly improved since November 2021.
The board had raised the possibility of banning him from contacting either the Black Power or Mongrel Mob after his release.
Black Power members Sheldon Rogerson (left) and Damien Fantham-Baker were jailed for the killing rival gang member Kevin Ratana in Whanganui in August 2018.
Runga, who indicated the possibility he could leave the gang, was also involved in a number of incidents while on remand but for a significant period had behaved well.
He wanted to take part in a drug treatment programme, the board said.
Kuru had a final release date in December 2023, Runga in October 2025, Rogerson in April 2025 and Fantham-Baker in July 2024.
The Parole Board would see the men again in another 12 months, before the end of April 2023 except for Runga who will have another hearing in December 2022.
A group of Black Power members, some wearing patches, face coverings and hoodies, had armed themselves with poles and battens and gone to the Ratanas' address to try to intimidate him into leaving Castlecliff, which they considered was their territory.
They began smashing Ratana's car to draw him outside.
However when Ratana came out of the front door, carrying a loaded shotgun, he was hit in the neck with a solid slug and died instantly.
Kuru and Runga were both were found guilty of Ratana's manslaughter in November, 2021, after a seven-week trial in the High Court at Wellington, while Rogerson pleaded guilty, as a party, to his murder while Fantham-Baker pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
