Key Takeaways
- Authorities are attempting to confiscate the Mongrel Mob’s gang pad in Mataura, Southland, due to its connection to a series of violent crimes in 2022.
- The gang pad was the scene of several "prolonged and tortuous" beatings, including one that left a victim with a collapsed lung, a fractured eye socket, and broken ribs.
- The Crown has applied for a forfeiture order covering the gang headquarters and a next-door section, with a combined rateable value of $347,000.
- The case is linked to an internal gang feud that prompted a spree of violent crimes, including drive-by shootings and violent assaults, and resulted in the prosecution of six gang members.
- The Mongrel Mob pad is seen as a symbol of the gang’s status and perceived power in Southland, and is used to plan and facilitate serious criminal offending.
Introduction to the Case
The Mongrel Mob’s gang pad in Mataura, Southland, has been at the center of a series of violent crimes in 2022, prompting authorities to take legal action to confiscate the property. The gang pad was raided by police during Operation Pakari, which was launched in response to a spree of violence in the area. The Crown has applied for a forfeiture order covering the gang headquarters and a next-door section, with a combined rateable value of $347,000. The application is part of an effort to disrupt the gang’s activities and prevent further violence in the community.
The Violent Crimes
The gang pad was the scene of several beatings between January and November 2022, with victims being assaulted at the pad or at their homes before being kidnapped and taken back to the property. Once inside, the gates were locked behind them, and they were "symbolically dumped" under the Mongrel Mob insignia on the wall before "being seriously assaulted in a prolonged and tortuous manner". One of the victims was abducted from his Invercargill home and taken to the Mataura property, where he was thrown head-first onto the concrete and beaten. The man was then taken to the home of Turoirangi Atarea Harmer-Elers, the "captain" or chapter president of the Mataura Mongrel Mob, to show that his orders had been carried out, before being dropped off at Gore Hospital. The victim’s injuries included a collapsed lung, a fractured eye socket, and broken ribs, and the ordeal lasted two hours.
The Prosecution of Gang Members
The violence related to an internal gang feud, which prompted a spree of violent crimes in 2022, including drive-by shootings and violent assaults that left people critically injured. Operation Pakari, the police action in response to the violence, resulted in the prosecution of six gang members, who received jail terms ranging from three years and four months to six years. One of those charged was Harmer-Elers, who is now serving a prison term of three years and four months for kidnapping and assault with intent to injure, relating to the vicious beating of a gang member at the pad on 9 August, 2022. Harmer-Elers was not present at the pad at the time of the assault, but was prosecuted on the grounds that he ordered it.
The Forfeiture Application
The Crown’s application for a forfeiture order against the gang headquarters and the next-door section is based on the Sentencing Act. The application was made on the eve of Harmer-Elers’ sentencing appearance in the High Court at Invercargill in September this year. However, due to its late filing, the forfeiture application was not dealt with on the day that Harmer-Elers was sent to prison, and the judge asked for submissions on the application to be heard in the future. Harmer-Elers’ counsel, Ron Mansfield KC, subsequently filed submissions arguing that as the sentencing process was now complete, the court no longer had jurisdiction to hear the forfeiture application under the Sentencing Act. Crown counsel Sarah McKenzie, however, submitted that the court still had jurisdiction to deal with the forfeiture matter, and Justice Gordon agreed with her. The forfeiture application will be decided at a later date.
The Significance of the Gang Pad
The Mongrel Mob pad in Albion St, Mataura, is seen as a symbol of the gang’s status and perceived power in Southland, and is used to plan and facilitate serious criminal offending. The property is described as "a well-established, fortified gang pad intended to prevent the public and police from observing activities within the property". The Crown’s application for a forfeiture order is an attempt to disrupt the gang’s activities and prevent further violence in the community. The case highlights the ongoing efforts of authorities to combat gang violence and protect the public, and the importance of holding those responsible for violent crimes accountable for their actions.
