Police are warning against vigilante justice following the sentencing of four people who fatally beat a Featherston man they believed had sexually assaulted a woman they knew.
Matthew McKinney, Kristofer Jones, Tariana Jones and Hayden Ranson were jailed for life when they appeared at the High Court in Wellington on Friday for murdering Glen Jones and the aggravated burglary of his flat in January last year. They must spend at leasts 17 years behind bars.
Glen Jones was beaten, kicked and hit with a wooden bat and an axe handle and died from massive head injuries. Outside court, Detective Inspector Sean Hansen said the lengthy sentences should send a clear message that acts of vigilante justice will not be tolerated by the community.
Justice Mackenzie told the court it was a frenzied attack fuelled by alcohol and a mob mentality. He said a police investigation revealed there was no substance to the complaint made against Mr Jones and the slur on his reputation was unjustified.