Beaten, burned, shot, amputated: West Auckland duo admit to kidnapping and torture of man

An Auckland man was kidnapped and tortured for hours: his little finger was cut off with pruning shears, he was shot in both feet and his naked body was burned with a blowtorch while he was bound and gagged.

His attackers believed that he had stolen “thousands of dollars” from another person and attempted various forms of physical torture, such as burning his eyes with cigarettes, urinating and beating him, over a period of two hours to get him to tell them where he had been stolen. money was.

Following the brutal attack last November, five men were arrested and charged.

Two of them, Henry Enoka Kea and Liam Hourigan, have pleaded guilty to a series of charges and will be sentenced next month.

Kea and Hourigan each face up to 14 years in prison for kidnapping, aggravated robbery, unlawful possession of a pistol, wounding with intent to cause serious bodily harm, threatening to kill, assaulting with a blunt weapon, and wounding with intent to injure. .

The couple initially denied the crime, but changed their statement at an Auckland High Court hearing last month.

Details of the case can now be revealed after Judge Sally Fitzgerald granted the Herald access to the court file.

The victim’s name has been deleted.

Crown’s Factual Summary describes Kea and Hourigan’s offenses.

The other two men reject the Crown’s version of events and will defend their position at the trial.

On November 20, Hourigan went to a store in West Auckland and bought a piece of red rope and latex gloves.

That night he contacted the victim through social media and asked to meet him at an address in New Lynn.

The victim arrived and Hourigan greeted him and invited him into the house.

Kea and the other suspected criminals were waiting inside.

The victim was physically immobilized and kept on the ground.

His attackers overpowered him and removed his clothes.

His phone, car keys, and wallet, which contains $ 500 in cash, were stolen.

Hourigan fetched a “severed .22 caliber rifle” fitted with a sound suppressing silencer and took aim at the victim before pressing the barrel into the back of the head.

The firearm, due to its modification, was classified as a pistol under the Arms Act of 1983.

None of the offenders or alleged offenders have a firearms license.

The victim was tied up like a pig and a T-shirt was put in his mouth and tied in place.

They then beat and kicked him repeatedly.

“The punching and kicking caused (the victim’s) eyes to become very swollen, thus restricting his vision,” read the Summary of Facts.

“(He) remained helpless on the ground for about two hours while the attack continued.”

The victim was also urinated when repeatedly told to “look at the ground.”

Hourigan accused the victim of robbing someone else and owing thousands of dollars.

He ordered the victim to tell him where the money was, threatening him with further physical abuse if he refused.

“Mr. Hourigan threatened to burn (the victim) alive and further threatened to remove (his) penis,” the summary describes.

“During this assault (the victim) suffered bruises and swelling to the head and body, as well as a laceration over the eye.”

They then took the victim to her own car, pushed her into the rear footwell, and drove her to a property in Whenuapai; the attackers beat and kicked him while traveling.

During the trip, Hourigan told the wounded man that he was “screwed” and that he was going to do more damage.

In Whenuapai, the victim was dragged from the car to a building where he was tied to a chair, his mouth still gagged.

They sprayed his eyes with an unknown liquid solution and shot him in the right foot with the pistol.

They repeatedly asked him where the “stolen” money was and he told the attackers he had no idea.

“Mr. Hourigan raised a gas torch and approached (the victim),” the summary revealed.

“Mr. Hourigan lit the torch and began burning the bare skin (of the victim).

“Mr. Hourigan applied the flame directly to the right hand, right arm, back, chest, feet, legs and stomach (of the victim) causing severe pain.”

For the next several hours, Hourigan used a metal object to hit the victim on the head.

The victim was also shot in the left foot.

Hourigan then attempted to cut off the victim’s little finger from his left hand with scissors.

He was unsuccessful and discussed with the others the different methods of removing the finger.

The summary says that one of the group left the address and returned shortly after with a pair of pruning shears.

“Mr. Hourigan took the pruning shears and held the left little finger (of the victim) … (then) he cut cleanly the finger (of the victim) causing a permanent amputation,” the document explains.

“(The victim) really believed that the attackers were going to kill him.”

The victim was repeatedly beaten on the head and body over the next several hours and told that he was going to be burned alive.

Lighted cigarettes were used to burn his eyelids and shoulder.

“At dawn on November 22, 2019 (the victim) heard the sound of sirens near his location,” the summary indicates.

“The criminals started cleaning the area and unleashed it.”

The seriously injured man was then taken back to his car, where he was tied up again and his eye was taped shut.

He was pushed around the back and child locks were put on the rear doors to prevent him from getting out.

The group then spent time washing the car with a hose.

Hourigan eventually took the victim away from Whenuapai, stopping after about 30 minutes.

Then another person got into the driver’s seat and began to transport the victim further.

“(The victim) managed to free his hands and climbed into the front of the vehicle,” reads the summary.

“(He) shoved (the driver’s) face causing the driver to brake hard on Fruitvale Road, New Lynn and stop the vehicle.

“(The victim) got out of the vehicle on Fruitvale Road and ran into traffic … (he) was located by a concerned member of the public and transported for medical treatment.”

As a result of the kidnapping and subsequent assault, the victim received medical treatment and surgery for concussion; the open flame burns his hand, arm, back, feet, and chest; gunshot wounds to both feet and his amputated toe.

When they were arrested, Hourigan and Kea declined to comment with police.

Both have appeared in court in the past.