A grandfather has been placed under house arrest for a year after climbing a 1.8-metre-high glass wall to attack his daughter’s killer in court.
Graham Mokaraka’s daughter and mother of six, Arohaina Henare, 34, was stabbed by Moses Taua and left to fend for herself on November 18, 2022.
Taua, who is currently serving a life sentence after pleading guilty to murder, appeared in New Zealand’s Napier District Court on September 11 last year for a hearing.
Mokaraka, 55, had gone to court that day to hand over his car keys to his relatives who were there for the hearing.
Taua was only supposed to appear via video link, but instead sat behind a glass wall on the dock.
When Taua’s upbringing was mentioned in court and he was described as a “victim of circumstances,” his victim’s father became angry. New Zealand Herald reported.
Mokaraka managed to scale the glass wall, step on the door handle, and began attacking Taua, who was handcuffed.
A prison officer ripped off Mokaraka’s shirt when he tried to arrest him. The officer fell to the ground and broke his kneecap in the process.
Graham Mokaraka’s daughter and mother of six, Arohaina Henare, 34 (pictured), was stabbed by Moses Taua and left to fend for herself on 18 November 2022.
Three other members of Ms Henare’s family, including her 18-year-old twin sons, also jumped over the wall and joined the attack.
The twins later pleaded guilty to assault and were sentenced to 12 months of supervision.
Mokaraka pleaded guilty to assault with intent to injure for the attack on Taua and aggravated assault in relation to the prison officer.
He was sentenced in the same court where the attack happened on Friday, where it was heard he felt “overwhelming rage” when the background of his daughter’s killer was mentioned.
Judge Richard Earwaker said on Friday that Mokaraka’s “vigilante justice” could not be tolerated despite the trauma to his family.
He also has a history of violence.
“Your family has been through a tremendous ordeal as a result of all this and I cannot ignore that fact,” Judge Earwaker said.
“This was clearly a vigilante act that you intended to mete out and that cannot in any way be tolerated or accepted.”
Mokaraka was sentenced to 12 months of house arrest.
Judge Richard Earwaker sentenced Mokaraka to 12 months’ home detention for his “vigilante justice” on Friday in New Zealand’s Napier District Court (pictured)
Taua was not seriously injured in the attack, but the prison officer has only just returned to work.
The other family member who climbed the wall has since passed away.
Taua murdered Ms Henare, who was living outdoors on his property, due to a dispute over her moving out.
The court heard that after a day of binge drinking, methamphetamine and cannabis, Taua confronted Ms. Henare early in the morning due to a previous altercation where she had pushed his partner.
“How dare you put your hands on my wife?” Taua said as he stabbed Ms Henare in the chest.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment in October 2023, with a non-parole period of 10 years.
