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Offender Databases Zane Wood

Zane Wood

Alias

.

Offences

Serious assault and grevious bodily harm of a Christchurch man in July 1998
A sustained and unprovoked attack over 2-3 hours by the offender and two others

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

Timothy Hopkins
"Charles"

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1981

Current Location

At large

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to six years in late 1998
Due for release July 2002

Background
From the Sunday Star Times 27th December 1998
Teenager Timothy Lewis Carl Hopkins had never been in trouble with the law until he and two friends nearly beat a man to death - for 60 cents. Hopkins (17), Zane Wood (18) and Shawn David Charles (18) were jailed last week for the attack on 35-year-old Dale Blundell as he walked home from a pub in Christchurch last July. He was left with permanent brain damage, has spent lengthy periods being treated at Sunnyside Hospital and will never again be able to live alone.

Police say the attack is one of the worst they have seen in the city. The trio beat him using their shoes and hands for 40 minutes, stripped him naked and left him for dead. And in a shocking aftermath, Hopkins and Wood later returned and repeated the attack as Blundell lay rolled up in a foetal position, semi-conscious. "As the judge said when he was sentencing these guys, it was a horrible dispicable assault, an absolutely cowardly, awful beating," said Detective Mark Reid. "It wouldn't have taken much more for these guys to have been facing murder charges. In fact, when we saw Blundell we weren't that confident he would live."

Hopkins was jailed for five years, Wood six years and Charles, who was not involved in the second beating, two-and-a-half years. Reid says he finds it hard to comprehend Hopkins' role in the attack. He was 16 at the time, came from a good home and had never been in trouble. Charles was known for petty crime and Wood was a hardened offender. Blundell was attacked near the Styx Bridge after being asked for money. He had spent the night drinking in central Christchurch and had decided to walk the several kilometres to his home in Belfast. He told the trio he had only 60 cents and made a futile attempt to run off. They caught him, dragged him 70m into a scrub area and began the assault.

Hopkins, Wood and Charles later blamed each other for the attack. Wood's lawyer said his client was fuelled on an amphetamine-based concoction mixed with alcohol, which led to "Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde reactions". But none gave drugs as a reason for the attack when they were arrested, said Reid. After the beating, Hopkins and Wood went to a house where a group of their friends were. Hopkins told them he thought he, Wood and Charles had killed someone. Hopkins, Wood and the group of friends then went to the bashing scene. Blundell was still lying in the grass naked where there was lots of blood and his clothes were strewn. Hopkins and Wood attacked Blundell again before the stunned friends could restrain them.

From the Evening Post 15th April 1999
A teenager given six years jail for his part in robbing a man of his last 60c, stripping him naked and leaving him helpless on a freezing night has had his jail term upheld by the Court of Appeal. Zane Wood, 17, unemployed, of Christchurch, and two others attacked the man, punching him, kicking him and stomping on his hand and ankle. They removed his clothes and dragged him naked for some distance. Wood and another of the attackers left the area on their bicycles, but returned. Wood rode his bicycle over the victim, dragging him 10m across concrete. He then dropped the bicycle twice on to the victim.

Chief Justice Sir Thomas Eichelbaum said Wood had pleaded guilty to wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. He was now appealing his six-year jail term. He said the victim was now a patient at Sunnyside Hospital, on medication to control paranoia, has short-term memory loss, and is deeply traumatised. He would need medication and treatment for the rest of his life. Sir Thomas said Wood's counsel had submitted that the sentencing judge had chosen a starting point of 10 years, which was too high, and that Wood should not have had a sentence different to a co- offender who received five years. Sir Thomas said the court scarcely needed to emphasise that the offending was outrageous conduct which was entirely unprovoked. The sentence could not be criticised.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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