A young Mongrel Mob associate who fatally stabbed a man at a 21st birthday party after mistaking him for a rival gang member has failed in his bid to challenge his life sentence.
According to a report by RNZ, Kayleb Renata, who was just 16 at the time of the attack, killed Jamaine Wharton at the Waiohau Rugby Club, about 40km south of Whakatāne, in February 2021.
The brutal assault was sparked by the false belief that Wharton, who had no gang affiliations, was a member of Black Power because he was wearing a black hat.
A Supreme Court decision released on Wednesday revealed that Renata argued his young age should have protected him from receiving a life sentence. However, the court rejected his plea, saying the case had already been appropriately considered by lower courts and that no miscarriage of justice had occurred, RNZ reported.
On the night of the 21st birthday celebration, Wharton was confronted by Roger Tutakangahau and others who challenged him to a fight. When he refused, tensions escalated. Tutakangahau punched Wharton, and Renata joined in along with other associates. Wharton tried to flee towards the kitchen, but the group chased, punched, and kicked him repeatedly.
Amid the chaos, Tutakangahau shouted at Renata to “get him.” Renata caught up with Wharton, punched him, and stabbed him twice in the chest and once in the abdomen as he lay on the floor. Wharton was taken to the hospital by other partygoers but died en route, reported RNZ.
In 2022, a jury found Renata guilty of murder and Tutakangahau guilty of manslaughter. Renata was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 10 years, while Tutakangahau received five years and six months in prison.
According to RNZ, Renata’s defence later argued that his youth and personal background made a life sentence “manifestly unjust.” However, the Court of Appeal disagreed, finding that his high level of culpability, despite his age, warranted the sentence imposed.
He then sought to take the case to the Supreme Court, asking for more time to file an appeal and raising two issues, one about late appeals and another about whether young offenders convicted of murder should face life imprisonment.
The Supreme Court refused the application, stating that the issue of delayed appeals was already settled and that previous courts had fully considered Renata’s youth and circumstances.
“The various factors influencing Mr Renata were taken into account. There are no exceptional circumstances justifying a direct appeal,” the decision read, reported RNZ.
At sentencing, Justice Paul Davison described the attack as a “senseless and savage beating” of an innocent man who posed no threat and had done nothing to provoke the assault, RNZ reported.
“It culminated with you stabbing him three times to the chest, inflicting the final blow while he lay vulnerable and utterly defenceless,” Justice Davison said, as quoted by RNZ.
With the Supreme Court dismissing his final bid for appeal, Renata’s life sentence now stands, marking the end of a tragic case that began with a deadly case of mistaken identity.
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