Woman kidnaps man after drug deal goes sour

A woman kidnapped a man she used to babysit after a drug deal she sent him on went sour.

Naleesha Angelica Moke appeared in the New Plymouth District Court for sentencing on charges of kidnapping and attempting to pervert the course of justice.

Moke and the victim knew each other through their parents, the Crown summary of facts said.

In February 2020, Moke arranged for the victim to buy methamphetamine for her. She gave him $1600 in cash, dropped him off to buy the drugs and waited for him in her vehicle.

The victim went to the address but the deal went sour and the $1600 was taken from him.

He was threatened and left with neither drugs nor money.

Some time afterwards, Moke located the victim at another address. He tried to explain where the money went, but was told he was a ‘‘liar’’.

Moke then called her partner, Joseph Reily Grace, a patched member of the Uru Taha gang, and handed the cellphone to the victim, whereupon Grace told the victim to stay quiet and stay where he was.

Grace arrived with a long wooden stick with a knife blade attached to the end.

Grace told the victim to get in his vehicle, otherwise he would be stabbed and killed.

Grace got in next to him and continued threatening to stab him while demanding the money. The victim told Grace to take him to his grandparents’ house, while Moke followed in a separate car.

Grace told him: ‘‘I know where your grandparents live. Do the right thing – I don’t want to come and hurt your grandparents.’’

The victim spoke to his grandfather at the door, telling him he needed money or would be hurt.

But his grandfather said he could not help, while the grandmother rang police upstairs and gave them Grace’s licence plate.

Believing police had been rung, Grace began to panic.

They drove away and Grace began prodding the victim with the stick.

The victim was poked in the eye, causing swelling.

The victim was taken to Moke’s address, where he was told to sit in a chair, and Grace left, telling Moke to stay in contact.

Not long after, police arrived. They arrested Moke and found the victim.

Moke had told the victim to tell police he had taken the money from her purse and not to say anything.

She told police the same story about the money and that he had willingly got in the vehicle, the summary said.

In court on Friday, Judge Gregory Hikaka noted the the victim impact statement.

‘‘He said you used to babysit him when he was a toddler,’’ Hikaka said.

The victim no longer felt safe in the area and lost his relationship with his grandparents, the judge said. He also noted Moke had 58 previous convictions from 2005 to 2018.

Moke was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment, which was converted to 12 months’ home detention, and six months of post-release conditions.

Grace was previously sentenced to two years and six months in jail.