Jail for kidnap and $1m ransom bid

(From left) Zu Ping Zhou, Changsong Li and Xiang Quan Chen. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Three men who admitted kidnapping a woman and dumping her gagged and bound when their ransom demands failed, have each been jailed for 10 years.

Changsong Li, 33, Xiang Quan Chen, 28, and Zu Ping Zhou, 19, appeared for sentencing in the High Court in Auckland today after they earlier pleaded guilty in Manukau District Court to kidnapping Qing Zhao from her Howick home in Auckland on March 7.

A fourth man has yet to be tried on similar charges.

The victim's family was told if they did not pay $1 million in ransom she would die.

Mrs Zhao, 42, was dumped in an industrial area of south Auckland about 20 hours later. No money changed hands.

The traumatised woman was interviewed by police, who said the kidnappers gave her no food and only four sips of water during her ordeal.

Several weeks after the event she was reported to still be deeply traumatised and having trouble sleeping.

Judge Charles Blackie told the court each of the three men had tried to minimise their role, but all were equally culpable.

He said the maximum jail term on the kidnapping charge was 14 years and the starting point for all three would be 13-and-a-half to 14 years in prison.

However, he gave them credit for mitigating factors, which included their guilty pleas, the fact that they were first offenders and other factors that cannot be reported.

- NZPA