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Offender Database Tama Te Pere

Tama Norman Te Pere

Alias

.

Offences

Grevious Bodily Harm on a 40 year old mentally impaired man in a home invasion in November 1995

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

Ripi Christie

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1980

Current Location

At large

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 5 years 6 months in November 1996
Sentenced to 8 months for his latest offences
Released November 2005

Background
From NZ Herald story 23rd November 1996
A Tauranga youth who took part in a frenzied attack on 40-year-old mentally impaired man was sent to jail for five and a half years yesterday. In the High Court at Auckland Justice Elias told Tama Norman Te Pere, aged 16, that he had displayed no remorse for continued to show callousness towards the victim.

Te Pere and co-offender Ripi Richard Christie, were both 15 when they entered the victim’s home late at night. Christie had a grudge against the victim and armed himself with a knife. They went to a bedroom where the man was accused of “narking” to police against a friend of Christie’s. The victim, a sickness beneficiary, denied this and a frenzied attack followed.

Christie slashed the victim’s face with the knife and Te Pere knocked him unconscious with a pot. Both continued to attack the defenceless man. According to the police summary, the victim required 87 stitches to the face and head, one side of his face was immobile, he could no longer smile, and all of his teeth had to be removed.

The judge said that after the attack Christie told friends after the attack that he had killed him. Christie had pleaded guilty and his seven-year jail sentence was reduced by the Court of appeal to six years. Te Pere was found guilty by a jury of causing grevious bodily harm and breaking and entering.

The judge said she had difficulty separating the duo in terms of culpability. Taking into account his youth, difficult family background and time spent in Social Welfare custody, she sentenced him to five and a half years’ jail. She said the victim, who was living in a home bought with the help of his parents, would never be able to live independently again.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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