Daughter follows mother to prison

File photo / NZ Herald

The daughter of a woman already in jail for a "nasty" love-triangle attack in the Bay of Plenty will join her mother behind bars.

Lavinia Blake, also known as Lavinia Pinga, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the attack and another assault while on bail when she appeared in Tauranga District Court yesterday.

Blake, 21, was charged with aggravated robbery and injuring with intent to injure in relation to the February 15 attack on a woman Blake's mother Ngapera Annabelle Pinga, 38, believed was sleeping with her partner.

Blake joined Pinga, her half-sister Narissa Mikaere, 22, and a youth in a premeditated attack on the woman after Pinga used her partner's cellphone to lure the victim to a lonely bus stop late at night.

The victim was viciously punched in the face, then kicked and stomped on as she lay on the ground and had her cellphone stolen. She suffered bruising and swelling to her face and head and two black eyes. There was internal bleeding in her left eye, causing some loss of vision.

Blake had initially received bail for the charges but was arrested and charged with assault, intimidation and wilful damage in relation to a domestic incident in June.

Crown prosecutor Sharee Christensen said the February incident was a "nasty group attack" that Blake was involved in and her sentence needed to reflect the second incident also.

"It's a concern that she was on bail for serious violence and then whilst on bail attacked her partner in a violent manner," Ms Christensen said.

Defence counsel Viv Winiata said his client had been led by her mother into the attack and was only young.

"Clearly the prisoner has a lot of growing up to do but she hasn't had a great upbringing by her mother."

Her mother had let her down, Mr Winiata said.

"I have in her own words that she is 'sorry for what happened to that lady'."

Judge Robert Wolff said Blake had chosen to follow her mother and for that reason needed to face the consequences of her actions.

"You knew what was about to happen and went along anyway. As a result, this lady was attacked. She was injured by being punched and kicked and her cellphone was stolen. Your role in this, as you say ... was less than the others but your involvement in the incident makes you equally responsible."

Blake's sentence included a month's sentence for the charges laid while she was on bail.