Richard Paru Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Torture and Abuse
Richard Paru, a member of the Mongrel Mob, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for a series of brutal crimes committed against a woman in Tūrangi in 2022.
Paru, 25 at the time of the crime, visited the woman’s home one evening, where she lived alone. Over the course of four hours, Paru physically, mentally, and sexually tortured the woman, forcing her to endure repeated assaults. He also demanded that she perform a sexual act while he filmed it, and threatened her with violence, including saying he would kill her.
In the lead-up to his trial, Paru changed his plea to guilty just days before the hearing. Judge David Cameron, who sentenced him in the Rotorua District Court, noted Paru’s extensive criminal history, which includes 42 prior convictions for violent offenses such as assaulting police and threats to kill.