Nail gun threat admitted
A 27-year-old admitted binding a man to a chair and threatening him with a loaded nailgun while demanding money.
Jesse Rewi Smetham Daniels, the son of radio host James Daniels, was originally charged with kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm.
Yesterday he pleaded guilty in the Christchurch District Court to an amended charge of demanding with menaces, and the firearm charge.
Defence counsel Allister Davis said Daniels had been attending a drug rehabilitation programme and was looking for a residential programme.
The Crown summary of facts said Daniels had arranged to go clay pigeon shooting with his victim, but when the victim arrived they had an argument over an alleged debt and Daniels took the firearm, ammunition, and clay birds from him.
On October 10 the victim went back to get the shotgun from Daniels, but was told it wasn’t there.
The next day the victim went back to discuss the alleged debt. Daniels contacted two other unknown associates who arrived, and the three then tried to extort money from the victim.
One of the associates threatened him with a baton, and he was forced to sit on a stool with his mouth and nose bound with duct tape.
He was given pen and paper and told to write down why he had not repaid the debt. One of the associates punched him, and took his cell-phone.
Daniels contacted some of the victim’s associates while holding a loaded and activated nail gun to his torso and threatening to use it against him.
During the night the two associates left the address and Daniels bound the victim to a chair with duct tape.
In the morning he gave the victim his cell phone back and he was able to contact a friend who phoned the police.
The man was in a distraught condition inside the house, and had a small bruise to his forehead where he had been punched.
Judge Raoul Neave remanded Daniels on bail for sentencing on April 1 and requested a report to assess his suitability for a home detention sentence.
Category: News
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