Violent prison beating claimed as ‘utu’ to restore mana

Summarised by Centrist

A violent assault by seven Black Power inmates on a fellow prisoner at Hawke’s Bay Regional Prison has been described as “utu” to restore the mana of both the attackers and the victim, according to a lawyer representing two of the offenders. The attack, captured on CCTV, was provoked by gang affiliations, though the defence argued it was a cultural response to an alleged sexual advance. Crown lawyer Megan Mitchell opposed the appeal, stating that a “ritual beating in a prison environment” cannot be considered utu. Justice Dale La Hood has reserved his decision on the appeal.

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