‘Narking fee’ imposed on trial witness
A man who imposed a “narking fee” on a witness who had given evidence against him at trial has been jailed for three years six months.
The sentence was imposed by Justice John Fogarty in the High Court at Christchurch where Waata Robert John Henry Chapman had pleaded guilty soon after the start of his blackmail trial in August.
The judge said the courts could not tolerate in any way that people who gave evidence were later subjected to threats and demands.
Chapman, a 28-year-old demolition worker, had pleaded guilty to three charges of demanding money with menaces, assaulting his victim, assaulting him with intent to injure, and possession of the class B drug morphine sulphate for supply.
He pleaded guilty on the first day of his trial when the Crown agreed to drop a blackmail charge and replace it with the charges of demanding with menaces.
Chapman’s demands were referred to during the session as a “narking fee”.
Justice Fogarty said that Chapman had been convicted and jailed after the victim gave evidence against him at an earlier trial.
When he came out of prison he started making demands on the victim to pay him $50 a week from his benefit payments. He then demanded more money when he learned that the victim’s father sometimes gave him money.
The offending had a serious impact on the victim who took the threats of violence seriously. Chapman assaulted him twice.
“The victim was in your thrall. He simply had no option but to agree to your demands,” said the judge.
He imposed a series of jail sentences totalling three years six months and made an order for Chapman to repay $1440 to the victim.
Category: News
Subscribe
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to receive more just like it.
Connect
Connect with us via: