Pair jailed for roles in kidnaps of woman
Two people involved in the kidnapping of an Auckland woman will have to spend time in jail for their actions.
Michelle Blom and Cameron Hakeke were both found guilty at trial of playing their part in two separate kidnappings of the same Auckland woman last year.
Blom was part of the kidnapping known as The Dome Valley case, in which the victim, who was 19 at the time, was kidnapped, subjected to two vicious assaults where she was bound, Tasered, and her hair was cut off.
She was also sexually violated, beaten with cricket wickets and a cricket bat, and had her head bashed with a hammer.
She was dumped on a remote dirt road in Auckland’s Dome Valley, between Warkworth and Wellsford.
Hakeke played a part in an earlier kidnapping of the woman a month prior.
In this instance, the victim was Tasered and harassed before being left near the Bombay Hills and told not to return to Auckland.
Blom was sentenced to two years and nine months’ imprisonment on one charge of kidnapping.
Hakeke was sentenced to two years and five months’ imprisonment on one charge of kidnapping and one charge of assault with a weapon.
During the sentencing on Friday in the High Court at Auckland, in front of Justice Christian Whata, Brian Dickey for the Crown argued Blom at any point could have stopped the ordeal.
‘‘She could have brought that to an end.
‘‘Should could have brought this to an end,’’ he said.
‘‘She could have made a phone call to the police, and didn’t.’’
Her lawyer, Julie-anne Kincade, argued her client held no malice towards the victim, and her participation in the act was limited.
Justice Whata told Kincade her client failed to stop the attack: ‘‘She knew about it, she did nothing,’’ he said.
Justice Whata noted Hakeke had not acknowledged any
The victim was kidnapped and beaten twice, and was left for dead on a rural roadside the second time.
remorse for his involvement in the earlier kidnapping. ‘‘Regrettably you are not remorseful,’’ he said.
Hakeke and Blom were part of a group of five who were found guilty for a range of charges by a jury in March of this year for the incident.
The sinister chain of events unravelled after the victim fell out with former friend Nicola Jones, after Jones began to believe the victim had an affair with her boyfriend.
Jones, along with friends Julieanntorrance, Blom and Jaclyn Keates, kidnapped the teenager and subjected her to a degrading attack where the woman’s hair was hacked off, her finger stomped on until it broke, she was sexually violated and beaten with a cricket bat.
Wayne Blackett then arrived at the Glen Eden home and, along with Torrance and Jones, took the bound woman to Dome Valley north of Auckland.
Blackett hit her on the head with a hammer several times after his efforts to choke and strangle her failed.
Jaclyn Keates plead guilty to her role in the attack and is serving a jail term.
Jones and Torrance were expected to sentenced on Friday as well, but their matter was pushed back until later next month.
Both were found guilty of attempted murder.