DANIEL Mercer, who lived at a unit at Hamilton South where an abduction victim was held, stripped naked and bashed and one of the kidnappers was stabbed to death, has pleaded guilty to his role in the brutal attack.
Mercer, 33, was charged 14 months after Killian Reynolds was rammed off the road at Hamilton, chased down, abducted and driven to Mercer's unit in Coady Street, Hamilton South.
While at the unit, Mr Reynolds was bashed and stripped naked before he was eventually smashed over the head with a pole, causing him a compound fracture to his skull.
During the chaos, one of the kidnappers, 51-year-old Valentino Taufaao, was stabbed to death.
Mr Reynolds was initially charged with manslaughter over Mr Taufaao's death, but the DPP dropped the charge. No one is charged over his death. Mercer had long denied being involved in the abduction or brutal assault of Mr Reynolds at his unit and was expected to face a trial in Newcastle District Court this year.
However, last week, as part of the super callover proceedings, Mercer pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless grievous bodily harm in company after the DPP agreed to withdraw the kidnapping charge.
The allegation against Mercer was that while a naked and bleeding Mr Reynolds was sat in a chair in his unit, Mercer stood over him with a machete and said words to the effect of: "Don't even think about f---ing going anywhere, don't f---ing move."
Brendon Cook, who drove the car during the abduction, was earlier this month jailed for a maximum of seven-and-a-half years, with a non-parole period of four years.
Timothy Onslow, who has pleaded guilty to his role in the abduction, will be sentenced in August.
