He was a head prefect at high school but now he’ll spend time behind bars for his part in the “disturbing” and “sadistic” torture of a man who had slapped the bottom of his older brother’s girlfriend.

The man was stripped naked and tortured over some 20 hours at a Head Hunters address, with defendants using an electric drill, heated knife, hot water, belt and metal pole to inflict extreme violence.

He was left with multiple injuries, including leg wounds inflicted by the drill, burn marks on his face and chest, and a cigarette burn on his forehead.

While the physical injuries have healed, the victim, who cannot be named, now panics when he hears power tools and raised voices, fearing it may happen again.

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On Friday, Samuel Lama – the final young man involved in the torture – was sentenced to three years and one-and-a-half months’ imprisonment. Justice Mathew Downs acknowledged the defendant and his family had been hoping for home detention but said a jail term was appropriate.

It was only on Wednesday that the Lama family had come to court to see Samuel’s older brother, 23-year-old patched Head Hunters member Israel Lama, be sentenced to nine years and six months’ imprisonment. He was the ringleader of the torture and carried out most of the violence.

Younger brother Sefilino Lama was sentenced to a term of home detention while three others involved in the attack were all sentenced to lengthy jail terms of over eight years.

Samuel Lama’s involvement in the 20-hour torture was not as bad as that of his older brother, however, Justice Downs said he was a willing participant.

He had also filmed the naked and bound man while his older brother poured hot water on the victim’s genitals.

Justice Downs said it was “serious, prolonged and cowardly violence” where none of the defendants had shown any compassion for the victim.

“Pleasure was taken in the torture of a fellow human being.”

A slap on the bottom

In the early hours of May 28, 2023, the victim was on Bankside St in Auckland’s CBD at about 4.20am after spending a night out with friends. The defendants were nearby and Israel Lama had become aware the man had allegedly slapped Israel Lama’s girlfriend’s bottom inside a bar. Something the victim denied.

Israel Lama told the man they would go and check the CCTV, but the man was suspicious and gave his friend his mobile phone and a bracelet.

CCTV footage later obtained by police showed the man had slapped the woman’s bottom.

Kidnap, interrogation and torture

The man’s suspicions were correct. He was driven over an hour to a West Auckland Head Hunters address – “the scene of the ensuing torture”.

He was stripped naked and told to sit in a camping chair, where Israel Lama directed Jade Jerome to bind the victim’s feet and hands together with electrical cords.

Once he was tied up, Israel Lama used a Makita electric impact driver fitted with a screwdriver bit and started drilling holes in the victim’s leg while he was held down by other defendants. The drill penetrated the victim’s flesh and muscle three times, leaving three holes.

Israel Lama began interrogating the victim again, asking if he had slapped his girlfriend’s bottom. The man again denied this.

The drilling stopped, with Lama directing others to use toilet paper and tape to treat the wounds, something Justice Downs said was “unlikely an act of compassion”.

The torture didn’t stop. Instead Israel Lama retrieved a large kitchen knife that had been heated on a gas burner, and used the “extremely hot knife” to burn the victim’s chest and face.

The victim was then told to get on the floor before he was repeatedly punched and kicked his head and body by the defendants.

He was also forcefully beaten by another defendant with an aluminium pole.

Israel Lama then poured hot water on to the victim’s bare skin, as others held the man down while he squirmed in pain.

“Whilst pouring the hot water on to [the victim’s] skin, Israel Lama told [the victim] to confess to slapping his girlfriend’s bottom. [The victim] did not admit to this.”

Lama again poured the hot water on to the victim’s already seared chest and his genitals. Samuel Lama filmed some of this.

During the attack, Jerome used a hammer to hit the victim’s legs, shins and knees repeatedly.

The victim was also whipped by Lama, causing welts and bruising. Others also whipped him.

Lama’s two brothers stood guard, with the victim asking them if he could get dressed as he was cold. They both refused.

After resting for some time, Israel Lama returned and again whipped the victim, making racist remarks about slavery.

The victim was taken away as the older Lama said a gang meeting was to take place. When the younger brothers returned, Israel Lama told the victim he would need to pay $20,000 before being released. The man said he couldn’t pay but would work it off.

At some point, Israel Lama also uploaded videos of some of the torture to his Instagram social media page “torturous88”, including one titled “ol mate here reckons he can slap me Mrs arse in the club”.

Sometime later, the victim was told to shower and was taken back to the CBD. The victim was taken to hospital by an associate and police staff happened upon him after attending another matter.

When Lama was arrested some days later, additional videos of the torture were found on his phone. Lama could be heard laughing, kneeling beside the victim and telling him “that I’m a motherf…ing torturous…”.

On Friday, Justice Downs said the victim must have been wondering if he was going to make it out alive.

In his victim impact statement, the victim had said he wasn’t someone who had it easy in life, he knows struggle and hardship.

“But never ever would I think of doing something like this to another human being.”

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Police said the “heart” of the incident was “heinous violence from gang members directed towards another person”.

“This has been a distressing and incredibly tough ordeal for the victim to go through,” Detective Senior Sergeant Lisa Anderson said on Friday.

“The investigation team worked for many months to achieve this result in what was a meticulous, difficult and complex investigation.

“Police would like to commend those who came forward with information during the course of our investigation.”