KEY POINTS:
One of the two South Auckland teenagers sentenced today for the manslaughter of a Romanian man last year was on bail at the time of the incident.
Kasanova Langi, 19, was on bail charged with robbery when he was involved, along with Kaiser Matautia, 20, in an attack which resulted in the death of Gheorge Simion in Mangere last year.
Mr Simion, 36, was felled by a punch by Matautia outside Mangere Town Centre on September 17 as he and Langi tried to rob him.
The pair then laughed among themselves as they stole possessions from Mr Simion's unconscious body.
Mr Simion, a New Zealand resident of Romanian origin, died the following day in Middlemore Hospital from head injuries received in the fall.
Langi and Matautia were sentenced to 4-3/4 years and five years in jail respectively on charges of manslaughter and aggravated robbery when they appeared before Justice Graham Lang at the High Court in Auckland today.
They must both serve half of the sentence before they are eligible for parole.
A trial this year found Langi guilty of manslaughter and aggravated robbery and Matautia guilty of aggravated robbery.
Matautia had admitted the manslaughter charge before the trial, while a third defendant, Edwin Sitinetu, was found not guilty of all charges at the trial.
Justice Lang said during sentencing that Matautia, Langi and Sitinetu had spent the night drinking before heading to Mangere Town Centre to buy some food at a supermarket.
Soon after their arrival Matautia and Langi got out and saw Mr Simion, who was intoxicated, asleep on a park bench. They woke him and talked to him before guiding him towards their car.
Mr Simion tried to escape the pair when they approached the car but Matautia punched him twice. The second punch knocked him backwards and his head hit the ground, causing the head injuries which would later kill him.
Witnesses said Matautia and Langi then laughed among themselves as they took Mr Simion's wallet and mobile phone from his body while he lay unconscious.
Justice Lang said the jury's verdict, which found Mr Sitinetu not guilty, suggested the plan to rob Mr Simion was made late, particularly as they had cash on them when arriving.
"I am prepared to give you the benefit of doubt that there was no decision prior to the point where you left the vehicle about robbing the person on the bench."
Justice Lang said the verdicts showed the jury decided Matautia and Langi had an "unsophisticated plan", even if unspoken, to rob Mr Simion with violence if necessary, and it was this violence which resulted in his death.
He said the laughter while robbing Mr Simion added a "callousness" to their actions, as did their attempt to bring him to their car and rob him out of eyesight.
Langi, who did not punch Mr Simion, had been convicted for wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and injuring with intent to injure as well as for the robbery which he was on bail for when Mr Simion died.
Matautia had previous convictions on unrelated matters which did not involve violence.
Matautia got up in court to apologise for his actions to Mr Simion's family, who were present in court. Mr Simion's wife and sister said in victim impact statements that they had been devastated by his death.
- NZPA
