Four jailed for ‘despicable’ kidnapping

Four Tauranga men have been jailed for between 18 months and nine years for the "despicable" kidnapping and torture of a Mount Maunganui man.

Mark Gregory Kimber, 40, Scott Ian McArthur, 31, Benjamin Siouse Martin, 25, and Regan Blair Walling, 29, appeared for sentencing in the High Court at Rotorua yesterday.

Their sentencing follows a trial in February when a jury found each of the men guilty of various offences stemming from two separate rows over a drug debt.

Justice Marion Frater sentenced two of the men, Martin and McArthur, to nine years' jail. They must serve a minimum non-parole period of 4 1/2 years.

Both men were found guilty of kidnapping Daniel Mark Gover on October 22, 2003, and injuring him with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. McArthur was also found guilty of an additional assault charge.

Their co-offender, Walling, was sentenced to 18 months' jail for his involvement in the kidnapping. He was granted leave to apply for home detention.

The fourth man, Kimber, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years' jail for the kidnapping of Mr Gover on September 16, 2003, and wounding him with intent to injure. He must serve a minimum non-parole of 3 1/2 years.

Justice Frater described both kidnappings and the 16-hour torture when Mr Gover was hogtied and left swinging from a wire as "despicable."

"In my view the crimes involved extreme callousness," she said.

"The victim feared for his life and all the expectations were things were only going to get worse."

The court heard Kimber bashed Mr Gover with a baseball bat and kidnapped him in an attempt to make him repay a debt.

The attack on September 16 followed repeated attempts by Kimber to recover the $1500 owed.

More than a month later McArthur, Martin and Walling kidnapped Mr Gover outside the house where he was staying with a friend. They took him to a home in the Tauranga suburb of Windermere and tied him up in the garage.

A hood was put over his head and a sock was put into his mouth, which was then taped shut.

His hands and ankles were lashed together and he was suspended from the roof of a garage by wire.

He was eventually taken inside the house from where he managed to escape and raise the alarm.

In sentencing the men, Justice Frater urged them to get help in jail to prevent them from re-offending.

- NZPA