Gang members jailed

Press, 4 December 1978, Page 7

Gang members jailed

PA Auckland Four members of the Headhunters gang have been jailed for up to four years and a half by Mr Justice Vautier in the Supreme Court at Auckland. They appeared for sentencing after having earlier been found guilty of offences against a pupil of an Auckland boarding school. The gang members had treated the girl, aged 14, in a bestial manner, subjecting her to cruel obscenities, his Honour said. At the trial, the Crown alleged that the girl was abducted from an Auckland hotel in July, raped and assaulted at a house' in Lunn Avenue, Mount Wellington. Before the court were Wayne Stephen Doyle, who was sentenced to four years and a half jail, William Hines, three years; Graham Te Awa. three years and a half and D’arcy Bowman Huru, Borstal training.

Doyle and Hines were both convicted on one charge of injuring the girl with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. Te Awa and Huru were convicted of abduction, in< juring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, being a party to rape, and three charges of being a party to attempted rape. His honour told Doyle • that the treatment of the girl was so bestial and sickening it was hard to believe it was perpetrated by adult New Zealanders. It was most disturbing that Doyle was the leader of the gang and had the authority to put a stop to the horrible obscenities and cruelty. He noted Doyle had expressed pride in the fact * that he had previous convictions relating to assaults against policemen. Doyle’s list of offences revealed that he was contemptuous of fellow human beings and antisocial to an extreme degree, his Honour said.