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Queenstown not Gotham City – judge

Debbie Jamieson debbie.jamieson@stuff.co.nz

Queenstown is not Gotham City and there is no need for caped crusaders, a judge told a wannabe vigilante who ambushed and assaulted a suspected drug dealer.

Manawa Rakete-Shea, 21, a caterer from Cromwell in Central Otago, was sentenced in Queenstown District Court yesterday for assaulting a man he believed to be a drug dealer with reckless disregard, and for stealing the man’s backpack, on March 26.

Judge Catriona Doyle said Rakete-Shea pretended to be a woman called Mikayla and arranged to meet the man at the Coronet Peak ski area car park to buy MDMA.

He punched the victim and stole his backpack containing a quantity of MDMA, headphones and other items, worth a total of $450.

Rakete-Shea acted ‘‘apparently for the righteous purpose of making sure he didn’t sell drugs to [Mikayla]’’, the judge said.

‘‘This isn’t Gotham city. We don’t need people taking the law into their own hands and being caped crusaders.’’

He should have gone to police, she said. The victim initially told police he was robbed and assaulted, but police later realised the story was untrue.. Judge Doyle said the impact of the assault was serious and life-changing for the victim.

‘‘It’s not just your life affected by a decision to go play vigilante when you arranged to meet [the victim] that day,’’ she said.

The assault resulted in significant and ‘‘chilling’’ consequences, the judge said.

The victim’s jaw was fractured in two places and he had surgery and permanent rods inserted to hold his jaw straight.

‘‘A number of his teeth will be out of line for life.’’

He also suffered concussion and was unable to continue at his job. For a long time he struggled with simple activities such as walking, sleeping, cooking, cleaning and showering.

He was unable to drive, and had difficulties with sleeping and spatial awareness.

‘‘He feels frustrated because he cannot trust his own eyes. His whole life has changed as a result of that assault and not at all for the better,’’ she said.

Judge Doyle said the maximum sentence for the assault was five years in prison.

Rakete-Shea pleaded guilty soon after being charged, had no previous convictions, was remorseful and was not considered to be a high risk to the victim or society.

Judge Doyle said Rakete-Shea was on a ‘‘knife-edge’’ of being able to turn things around and ensure this was his last appearance in court.

He was sentenced to five months’ community detention and 12 months of supervision, and ordered to pay reparation of $2000.

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2021-10-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-10-27T07:00:00.0000000Z

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