Six men found guilty of the kidnapping and manslaughter of a Thai woman in Auckland have been sentenced.
Jindarat Prutsiriporn, 50, fell bound and gagged from the boot of a car as it sped off from traffic lights in the south Auckland suburb of Papatoetoe in March 2016.
She suffered serious head injuries and died in hospital two days later.
Eleven people were arrested following her death and six have been awaiting sentencing in the Auckland High Court after being found guilty on manslaughter and kidnapping charges. The other five earlier pleaded guilty.
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Seng Lek Leiv was sentenced to 12 years and four months in jail, with a minimum sentence of six years and two months, for manslaughter and kidnap.
The Crown argued Seng Lek Leiv masterminded the kidnapping, along with members of an elite Headhunters team called the 'Ghost Unit'.
Aphichart Korhomklang received ten years and eight months, with a minimum five years and four months, for manslaughter and kidnapping.
Luigi Havea, Tafito Masi Vaifale, Joseph Benjamin Haurua and Sodarith Sao all received more six years in jail on manslaughter and kidnapping charges.
Mr Sao was the driver of the car when Ms Prutsiriporn jumped out.
Ms Prutsiriporn was lured out of her home on February 29, 2016 under the guise of a drug deal by Ghost Unit member Panepasa Havea who pleaded guilty to kidnapping - surprising her with a gun.
Over the next 22 hours, she was tied, tortured, beaten and moved around several properties.
It was while she was being taken to another property that Ms Prutsiriporn managed to free herself from the boot, using a kitchen steel knife.
Newshub.
