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A man who kidnapped and cut off a woman’s finger due to a drug debt in Wellington was sent to prison.
An archival image of the coat of arms of a courtroom. Source: 1 NEWS
Willie Malua-Bentley pleaded guilty to kidnapping and disfigurement with intent to cause serious bodily harm.
Malua-Bentley had cut off the woman’s index finger after dragging her through the water on a Wellington beach.
She was then chained to a sofa and covered with a blanket in a garage before escaping.
The kidnapping lasted for several days, in March last year.
This morning, in the High Court of Wellington, Judge France sentenced Malua-Bentley to six years and nine months in prison.
“I am not prepared to go down because a lower sentence would not adequately reflect the seriousness of this cruel and violent crime,” Judge France said.
The judge said Malua-Bentley had used drugs, including cannabis and methamphetamine, from a young age.
Malua-Bentley’s attorney, Gary Turkington, said his client “regretted everything” and had an eager desire to get out of his drug addiction.
Turkington said the 32-year-old had plummeted into drugs and that led to violent crime.
Others accused of being involved have pleaded not guilty and are expected to be tried next month.
