Pouwhara Naera was living under Pelorus Bridge at the top of the South Island after he was made homeless from his bail address. Photo / Supplied
Pouwhara Naera was living under Pelorus Bridge at the top of the South Island after he was made homeless from his bail address. Photo / Supplied
A courier threatened by a gun-wielding man says he feared for his life and would never return to the address where he was told "you better not tell police or you're f***ing dead".
The man who made the threat, Pouwhara Naera, was today sentenced in the Wellington District Court to 18 months of intensive supervision after he made violent threats to the courier driver and later assaulted and threatened the life of his ex-partner.
On March 8 last year Naera and his ex-partner were at an address in Richmond, Nelson, when a courier arrived at the door.
Holding a "black air gun" Naera told the courier he was going to shoot him multiple times.
At first the driver thought Naera was joking, but he came back with a metal bar, telling the courier "I'm going to bash you and f*** you up".
The courier returned to his van fearing for his life and Naera followed, smashing the van with the metal bar and warning the courier, "You better not tell police or you're f****** dead".
Judge Joanne Rielly said in court today the courier was extremely frightened by what happened that day and thought Naera was capable of following through with his threats.
"[He] could believe you had done it and thought at the time he may well die," Judge Reilly said.
"He will understandably never go back to that address again."
Naera's next set of offending was against his ex-partner, who also feared for her life.
He had on multiple occasions threatened to kill her, once saying he would set her on fire.
In June last year Naera showed up at her house. She answered the door and blocked his entry because her children were inside.
Naera became agitated, pushing the victim into a wall and grabbing her by the throat. Questioning who was in the house, Naera entered and checked every room.
Soon after that his victim saw him holding a golf club in one hand and a hunting knife in the other.
On another occasion after a night out Naera pointed a gun at her, again threatening her life.
She feared retribution from Naera, and thought about leaving the area. It is unknown to the courts if she remains in the Tasman region.
Lawyer Tim Spear said the deterrent factor had already been dealt with through Naera's lengthy stay while he was held on remand, and while on electronically monitored bail for seven months.
"Supervision is what's really going to help this man now," Spear said.
Advocating for a sentence of supervision, Spear said his client had settled, establishing himself in Wellington after a spate of breaches due to homelessness.
Naera was sentenced today in the Wellington District Court. Photo / File
The court heard that while on remand, Naera suffered a serious brain injury after gang members beat him in prison.
The assault came before he was granted bail and Judge Reilly apologised to Naera for experiencing such a "devastating" assault while in the custody.
Then in the lead up to today's sentencing he experienced a series of "tragic" events.
His first bail address in Christchurch had become unavailable after the owners were set to sell.
With nowhere to go Naera was homeless his lawyer told the court, and for a while he lived under a bridge at the top of the South Island.
He had run out of money and food, was having panic attacks and seizures, "his life was spiralling out of control", and he didn't know what to do.
Now, however, Naera was engaging with bail support and seeking help with his mental health and brain injury management, his lawyer said.
"He's realised that he is so damaged physically that he really has to play ball with everyone just to get through day by day," Spear said.
Naera still does not fully accept the offending, but Spear said this was because of his brain injury, and the subsequent difficulties in accepting and processing what he's done.
Judge Rielly said there was "a lot of merit" in Naera's request for psychological assistance, and acknowledged the toll his head injury had on his life, memory and comprehension of his offending.
The judge said she was proud of Naera for accessing medical and community support, and engaging in a meaningful way.
Naera had accepted he was an angry person and there were changes he needed to make to break a violent cycle.
Naera had grown up exposed to violence between his parents and wider whānau, and was denied access to his cultural heritage.
"As a result you grew into a young adult who felt lost and disenfranchised," Judge Reilly said.
The harm he had caused wasn't ignored at today's sentencing, however Naera had spent the equivalent of 15 months behind bars and seven months on electronic monitoring bail waiting for his day in court.
"That harm has been done," Judge Reilly said when speaking about Naera's offending.
