Mongols prospect wants lighter sentence for holiday park brawl. Judge says no
Jake Kenny • Senior reporter The Press NZ (New Zealand)
https://www.thepress.co.nz/nz-news/360758467/mongols-prospect-wants-lighter-sentence-holiday-park-brawl-judge-says-no
A drug-dealing gang prospect who ambushed members of a rival gang with his associates at a family-friendly holiday park has failed to convince a judge his jail term was too harsh.
Mongols motorcycle club prospect Jesse White was on bail for an inter-gang brawl at a Christchurch holiday park when he was arrested for supplying cocaine and MDMA.
He failed to convince a High Court judge to lessen his four year, 10-month prison term in a recent appeal, the judge saying the close-quarters weapons used in the attack heightened the danger and risk to the public, highlighted by a near miss with a bus as some fled the scene.
In the late afternoon of February 18 last year, three Mongols members, including White, were seen on security cameras entering the Tasman Holiday Park in Papanui, Christchurch. The park offers family-friendly facilities, cabins, camping and a kids playground.
The trio could be seen looking around and leaving before returning a short time later, about 5.05pm, with a larger group. The group again looked around before leaving. About 5.20pm, a group of Bandidos motorcycle club gang members were seen leaving the park, two on motorcycles and two in a car. A member on foot tried to enter a code to raise the barrier arm but stopped when he saw the Mongols approaching.
The Mongols lent on the barrier and stared at the Bandidos before two forced it up and rushed towards the rival gangsters, one armed with a metal silver weapon and the other with a wrench. They were followed by White, who was carrying a short curved pole, and another masked associate carrying a baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire.
As they approached, one of the Bandidos on a motorcycle fled through the barrier arm. As he approached his rivals, the masked Mongol hit him with the bat. Barbed wire could be seen sticking to him as he sped through the barrier, breaking it in the process. He almost lost control of the bike as he sped out of the park.
A second Bandido got off his bike and extended a collapsible baton. Three Mongols chased him as he ran back into the park. One Mongol jumped on the abandoned bike and drove it out of the park. Three then approached the car with the two Bandidos inside. Using the bat, wrench and tyre iron, they smashed at the car, breaking its rear windscreen as the driver fled through the barrier at speed, narrowly avoiding a crash with a bus.
All of the gang members then left.
White was charged with assault with a weapon and rioting. While on bail, he was charged with possessing cocaine for supply, offering to supply cocaine, supplying cocaine, offering to supply MDMA, supplying MDMA and failing to provide a pin code to his phone. He pleaded guilty to all of the charges and was sentenced to four years and 10 months’ imprisonment.
White appealed his sentence, arguing the starting point for the holiday park brawl offences – two-and-a-half years’ jail – was too high and manifestly excessive.
Justice Dale La Hood heard the appeal.
“Having viewed the CCTV footage myself, I consider there was no error in the judge treating all the offenders as equally culpable for this premeditated gang attack,” he said in a recently released judgment.
“When cross-checked against the cases to which I have been referred, it might be considered stern, but the judge was entitled to take an approach that emphasised deterrence, denunciation and accountability for this serious inter-gang attack that put the public at risk.”
The judge dismissed the appeal.
Comments