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Offender Databases Mark Hird

Mark John Hird

Alias

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Offences

Home invasion and kidnapping of a rural Southland couple, raped the female victim and injured the male complainant with intent to injure in January 2008
He has previous convictions including burglary, arson, and assaults with intent to injure

Victims

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Offender Affiliations

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Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1981

Current Location

Prison

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 9 years with a 5 year minimum non-parole period in May 2009

Background
NZ Herald story here
Southland Times story here
A 28-year-old Southland man who filmed himself raping a woman was sentenced to nine years' jail when he appeared in the Invercargill District Court yesterday.

Mark John Hird was sentenced by Judge Kevin Phillips after a jury found him guilty on December 3 of rape, burglary, injuring with intent to injure and two charges of kidnapping on January 1 last year. A minimum non-parole period of five years was imposed.

The Southland Times, Tuesday, 02 December 2008
A man on drugs videotaped himself raping a woman before laughing while watching the footage in front of her, a jury in the Invercargill District Court has been told.

Mark John Hird, 27, is on trial in the Invercargill District Court after denying charges of rape, sexual violation, attempted sexual violation, kidnapping, injuring with intent to injure and burglary. He admitted another charge of assault at the start of his trial yesterday. All seven charges relate to the same incident at a rural Southland house this year.

The complainant said she was in bed asleep with a man when Hird arrived in his vehicle. He yelled outside the bedroom window, asking who was with her in the house, before climbing through a laundry window, she said. Hird then pushed past the woman and began punching the man in the head and tried to stomp on his head, she said.

After pushing them both into the bedroom, Hird asked why the other man got sex and he didn't, and he wanted some, she said. He pushed the other man into a wardrobe before repeatedly asking her for sex. She said no and he raped and sexually violated her, she said. Hird videotaped the sexual offending and when it was over he asked her if she wanted to watch it, which she did not, she said. "He watched it himself and while he was doing that he was laughing."

Under cross-examination from Hird's lawyer, Roger Eagles, the woman said she and Hird had been videotaped having sex before and she had agreed to it. They had also watched the footage together in the past, she said. Mr Eagles said, in his opening account, that Hird had earlier in the night smoked cannabis and had what he thought was a tablet of LSD. He had not raped the woman, Mr Eagles said. She had invited Hird to have sex with her because she thought it would mean he would then leave the house.

He said the other man had not been forced into the wardrobe, but hopped into it himself and could have slid the door open at any time and left. Mr Eagles also said Hird admitted punching the other man but had never attempted to stomp on his head.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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