Gang member wins driving disqualification appeal

A Mongrel Mob member who rammed someone from a rival gang off his motorbike and taunted him as he lay dying has won his appeal against his lengthy disqualification from driving.

Andre Taiapa pleaded guilty last year to the manslaughter of Don Henry Turei Junior, who was killed near Te Kaha in November 2016 on his way to a wedding reception.

He was sentenced to six years and four months' prison and disqualified from driving for four years after his release.

But Taiapa's lawyer, Elizabeth Hall, has appealed the disqualification on the grounds it was excessive on top of the rest of his sentence, and could hinder him from leading a law-abiding life after prison.

The Court of Appeal agreed.

In a written judgement, the court says the use of the car as a deadly weapon merits some period of disqualification but four years is too long.

He is now disqualified from driving for one year following his release from prison or on his prison sentence expiry date, if he is not already on parole.

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1 comment

What a joke

Posted on 01-11-2019 14:39 | By lpm67

He got a lot less punishment than he deserved....someone seems to have forgotten that he used his vehicle as a deadly weapon to murder someone! !!!! He's less than a dogm he's less than a cockroach.


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