May 10, 2010

Youth tells of central city bashing

By Anne Clarkson

A 15-year-old youth has given evidence of being punched, kicked, dragged by the hair, and locked in a cage in a kidnapping and bashing trial over an incident in central Christchurch.

David Michael Witchall, 20, denied the charges of kidnapping and intentionally injuring, and a youth who has interim name suppression denied a charge of kidnapping, as the trial opened in the Christchurch District Court today.

A third man has pleaded guilty to both charges and is awaiting sentence.

Crown prosecutor Deirdre Elsmore told Judge David Saunders and the jury that the victim was beaten in a prolonged and violent attack and locked in a cage.

Two of the offenders were sleeping rough in Kivers Lane, between Lichfield and Cashel Streets, in cages used for storing bicycles, she said.

The victim told stories about Witchall, who was one of their friends, and when he next turned up in the lane, Witchall and one of the men living in the cages attacked him.

She said he was punched and kicked by them after being dragged to a cage by the hair. They had turns in the cage beating him while the other locked the cage on the outside.

They then dragged him to another cage where the third man beat him.

They left him in one of the cages and locked it, and he fell asleep until another man saw him and helped him into the Bus Exchange, she said.

The victim told the court he knew the two people who were living in the bike cages, but had only met Witchall a couple of hours before the attack.

He said he walked into one of the cages and was hit in the back of the head. Witchall and the youth punched and kicked him, and his head was held against the mesh on the inside of the cage while Witchall ran at it and kicked him in the head from the outside.

He said he was knocked unconscious for a while and was dazed and confused, after a beating that lasted for at least an hour.

Witchall then dragged him into the next cage where the third man punched him.

He said he was told to steal cellphones, cash, liquor and cars for the men.

Questioned by the youth?s defence counsel, Colin Eason, he said that he was in a deep hole and could not do anything about it.

Judge Saunders asked him if he had recovered from the beating and he said he was still shaken up about it and hoped that it did not happen to anyone else.

The trial is expected to last two days.