Brothers beat a ‘disrespectful’ mourner senseless during a mahia tangi attack, carried him to a ditch, and left him there

Brothers beat a ‘disrespectful’ mourner senseless during a mahia tangi attack, carried him to a ditch, and left him there

After being violently beaten by two brothers at a tangi, a badly wounded guy was left lying in a ditch for two hours without receiving medical attention.

Now, one of the guys, who was raised in an unhappy environment where he was permitted to use alcohol as a young child, has been sent in prison for the brutal attack while his sibling has been placed under home detention.

Ryan and Harland Ormond, the victim’s brothers, were informed that the victim had been disrespectful to their late father and hostile toward mourners gathering at a property in Mahia, northern Hawke’s Bay, when the incident occurred in February of last year.
They were come to say goodbye to Juicy, Jose Osborne Ormond, who had passed away the day before.

When the brothers, ages 28 and 25, assaulted the victim, Justice Christine Grice said that the assault left the victim with significant and lifelong disabilities, including a brain hemorrhage and skull fractures.

At their sentence hearing, Justice Grice informed the boys, “A terrible part of this is that the victim admired and looked up to your father and had gone to pay his respects at the tangi. He was “also in mourning.”

According to Justice Grice, Ryan was the primary aggressor who kicked, stomped, and struck the victim in the head and body. He was struck in the head by his younger sibling, knocking him out.
The victim was then pulled by one of them—possibly both—across a road and into a ditch.

Ryan continued to badly abuse the victim while he was still unconscious, finally stopping when Harland stepped in.
Before being flown to the hospital, the sufferer was left in a ditch for two hours, according to Justice Christine Grice.

Along with several fractured ribs, a punctured lung, a lacerated liver, and extensive bruises to his face, torso, stomach, and legs, the victim also had a serious traumatic brain injury.

Neither of the brothers made an emergency call or went to the hospital.

“He was left unattended, lying in the ditch for over two hours before he was airlifted to hospital,” Justice Grice said.

“Over an hour after the assaults, a 111 call was finally placed, and you, Harland, spoke to the operator and gave them a false name.”

Police were informed by residents of the home that the victim had rode his bicycle into a ditch.

According to the court, after the first assault, Harland made an effort to prevent Ryan from harming the victim more, which may have stopped the situation from being much worse.

“I saw that you and Ryan were experiencing increased emotional strain; you had been drinking and were grieving the sudden death of your father. Which helps to justify your conduct in some measure,” she remarked.

The brothers’ tumultuous childhood was documented in cultural accounts, including with early exposure to drugs, alcohol, and violence, as well as socioeconomic distress.

In the High Court at Gisborne, Harland’s attorney Tiffany Cooper KC claimed that the elder brother had been drinking since he was two.

According to Justice Grice, the victim had serious injuries that permanently altered his life.

Despite a year of therapy, she said that “his independence has been taken away from him” and that he still has a disability.

After learning of the sentence guidelines, both brothers entered a guilty plea.

Ryan received a three years, six month sentence. His prison term was reduced when the court learned that he was a highly respected employee who had taken the initiative to assist clean up the neighborhood following Cyclone Gabrielle.

Harland was sentenced to 10 months of house arrest.

Before holding high roles at several daily newspapers, Ric Stevens spent many years working for the defunct New Zealand Press Association news agency, notably as a political correspondent at Parliament. He began working with NZME in 2022 and is situated in Hawke’s Bay. His four years of first-hand experience as a probation officer shape his writing in the area of crime and justice.