Director of savage jail attack appeals | Northland News | Local News in Northland

An inmate found guilty of orchestrating a savage  attack at Ngawha prison  is appealing his conviction and sentence.

Jonothan Poutai, 44, was jailed for 12 years by the High Court in Whangarei last October on a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He will have to serve a minimum of six years and two months before being eligible for parole.

Poutai, a senior  gang member, directed a wave of attacks on Matthew Te Hira in his cell on March 8, 2008, that left him with life-threatening injuries.

The Court of Appeal will hear arguments from his lawyer on May 10 in Wellington.

A trial  last year was told  a group of inmates had entered Te Hira's cell two at a time and punched, kicked and stomped on him as he laid curled up.

After the beatings, Poutai had commented:  "He might die. He'll learn his lesson this time around."

Four other prisoners directly involved in the savage beatings were sentenced to a total of 31 years in jail.

A report by the Department of Corrections revealed a series of errors, failures and falsified records surrounding the beating, including a lack of appropriate medical attention when Te Hira was found.

The report said the guard who failed to pass on Te Hira's concerns for his safety was "discouraged" by a unit manager from reporting the matter when he came on duty after the attack.

It found there were poor performances by staff at the jail, including not carrying out muster checks, a guard spending most of the shift in a control room rather than patrolling the unit, the unit log being falsified to alter the dinner muster time from 3.20pm to 3.30pm to indicate that the time between dinner and lock-up was 15 minutes rather than 25, and staff who found Te Hira not responding appropriately to ensure he received urgent medical attention.

Corrections said the performance of some staff involved had been addressed but would not say how.

The report found the unit's response to Te Hira's concerns and the subsequent assaults fell far below the standard required.