Gulf Harbour body trial: Religious group leader, wife jailed over manslaughter, kidnapping

The leader of a fringe religious group Kaixiao Liu has been sentenced to 10 years and five months imprisonment for the manslaughter and kidnapping of one of his followers - 70-year-old Shulai Wang.His wife, Lanyue Xiao, received a sentence of seven years and 11 months for her role.Wang, from Hainan, China, was found wrapped in layers of black rubbish bags in Auckland's Gulf Harbour in March 2024, eight months after she arrived in the country to follow the religious instructions of Liu.Kaixiao Liu at sentencing on Tuesday.RNZ / Nick MonroLiu's mother, Xiuyun Li, and father, Jingui Liu, were also convicted in June - Li of kidnapping and Jingui Liu of misconduct to human remains.They will be sentenced later this year, due to more material they plan to place before the court.Wang and five other women from China stayed with Liu and his family in Ōrewa, where the Crown said Wang was punished for not complying with the strict rules of the household, and later put in a suitcase, denied food and water, following a failed escape just days before her death.On Tuesday morning, Justice Mathew Downs handed Liu the prison sentence at Auckland's High Court.Justice Mathew Downs.RNZ / Nick MonroLiu's sentence, with a minimum non-parole period of 50 percent of his sentence, also covered Liu's convictions for interfering with human remains, perverting the course of justice and failing to give device passwords to police during a search warrant.Xiao received a sentence of seven years and 11 months for kidnapping, manslaughter, perverting the course of justice and interfering with human remains.Justice Downs didn't impose a minimum non-parole period for Xiao, acknowledging her lesser culpability compared to Liu, who made all the key decisions relating to Wang's detention and punishment.He said Liu and Xiao's offending had several aggravating factors, including detaining Wang for 38 hours and restraining her for much of the period, taping her mouth to stop her from screaming, denying food and water - all whilst knowing that she was a 70-year-old overstayer who was entirely dependent on them.Justice Downs emphasised Liu's position as the ring leader and his "callous indifference" to Wang and the other women in the house, referring to the evidence heard in trial that Liu had kept the black pushchair used to dispose of Wang's body and the black bed she was detained in as warnings to the other women in the house, telling them that the colour black represented death.Lanyue Xiao and Kaixiao Liu.Nick MonroTurning to Xiao, Justice Downs said while she was not as culpable as he is, she was the next most culpable given her status in the household.Justice Downs said he had observed Xiao during the trial and seen her disagree with her husband, and seen that at times her husband deferred to her - concluding that if Xiao had dissuaded Liu from the offending, there would be a possibility of a different outcome.The sentences for Liu and Xiao included a 5 percent discount for the consideration that neither of them had previous convictions.Justice Downs said he was not persuaded by submissions for either defendants' good work or character references.The judge also decided on no discounts on compassionate grounds for Liu's separation from his five children - four of whom were uplifted by Oranga Tamariki in September 2024 - and the youngest who was uplifted following the conclusion of the trial in June.Kaixiao Liu's lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC.RNZ / Nick MonroLiu's lawyer, Ron Mansfield KC, who did not represent him in the trial but is now representing him on appeal matters, had asked Justice Downs for leniency and compassion on several factors.Mansfield said while Liu still doesn't accept the Crown's version of events, he does have remorse for the loss of life in his home."He is not a cult leader, nor require people to follow his cult," Mansfield said, adding that Liu had people who followed him as a result of his music, not his preaching.Mansfield said life in custody for any foreign national is more difficult, and that there are positives in Liu's life such as being a parent and wanting to return to his children and family life.Mansfield said the removal of the children had played a significant part in the proceeding in leading Liu to mistrust authority and the criminal process, and that the mistrust had led to Liu's inability to trust counsel appointed during the trial, which drove the way in which the trial was conducted.