Posted on 08/04/2004 6:25:55 PM PDT by Lorianne
Auckland - Three teenage rising rugby league stars were jailed on Thursday for trying to kill an unborn baby.
Shaun Williams-Metcalf, 16, was sentenced to 18 months in prison after he took friends Geoffrey Ruaporo and Kyle Donovan to a park to kick his 15-year-old ex-girlfriend in the stomach in an effort to procure an abortion.
Ruaporo was sentenced to 18 months' jail, while Donovan, who tried to stop the attack, received a prison term of 15 months.
Judge Andrew Becroft called the trio's actions planned, callous and "extremely serious".
The trio had earlier pleaded guilty to attempting to procure an abortion, aggravated robbery and inflicting injury with intent.
The victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, was five-months pregnant when the boys attacked her. She now has a healthy five-month-old baby girl.
The teenagers were members of the New Zealand Warriors Development Squad.
The senior team plays in the scandal-tainted Australian National Rugby League competition, which has been hit recently with gang rape allegations against one of its top teams and claims of offensive behaviour by other players.
After the sentencing in the Manukau District Court, south of here, the New Zealand Warriors said the trio's contracts had been terminated.
Tragedy for all
The attack was "a tragedy for all involved", the club said, and efforts were being made to convey the club's concern and sympathy to the girl and her family.
The court heard the mother of the child had had a brief relationship with Williams-Metcalf.
On August 8 last year, the defendants went to a park where Williams-Metcalf had arranged to meet his ex-girlfriend to discuss the pregnancy.
When she arrived, she was dragged from her car, punched in the head and kicked in the stomach.
Donovan tried to stop the attack before the trio then ran away.
Prosecutor Kevin Glubb said it was lucky that the woman's daughter was healthy.
Outside court the woman and her parents said they were happy that the trio had been sentenced to prison and were glad the ordeal had ended.
Safe, legal and rare right?
Meeting of the Young Democrats?
Ted Kennedy, among others, thinks this sort of thing is just fine ~ "choice" you know!
Juar think, if this happened in America they could have been speakers at the Democratic Convention!
Those thugs deserve to have the book thrown at them.
Thank God the girl, and her baby, survived, and the child is now healthy.
"Donovan, who tried to stop the attack, received a prison term of 15 months."
ummm...????
He was trying to beat the baby out of her, if he had succeeded he likely would have killed her as well.
Ya know I have just about had enough of these twits. Two ropes and a tree would fill the bill nicely.
Hard to believe they'll all be out in only 15 or 18 months --- what they did must not be considered much of a crime.
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
Thank God her and her baby are ok. Those thugs deserve a lot more time in prison than that..
Don't worry, they will emigrate to the U.S. where the DNC will meet them at the border with a stolen SS number, welfare applications, voter registration, and a DNC membership card.
Only 18 months for attempted murder.
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