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A Tauranga judge has urged a man who robbed a Bayfair store twice in five days to “not just walk out of prison and become the same person”.
Ngamako Jones, 26, of Papakura, earlier admitted robbing the Sunglass Hut in Mount Maunganui’s Bayfair shopping mall twice within five days and breaking into the Kings & Queens Bayfair stall, stealing $3800 of jewellery.
According to the Crown and police summary of facts, the three offences were committed between September 15 and October 3 last year.
Jones was sentenced to two years and five months’ prison when he appeared before Judge Melinda Mason in the Tauranga District Court on Monday. He had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated robbery and one charge of burglary.
He was also sentenced for several other offences including escaping police custody, three breaches of a protection order, a breach of community work, intimidation and threatening behaviour.
The court heard that, on September 15, Jones and an unknown associate entered the shopping centre at 10.36pm and burgled the Kings & Queens Bayfair stall, which sells high-end street jewellery and stocks brands such as Versace, Guess, Nixon and Casio.
Aucklander Ngamako Jones, 26, was sentenced in the Tauranga District Court on November 13 after admitting aggravated robbery and burglary charges. Photo / Alex Cairns
Wearing dark clothing, gloves and a nurse’s mask, Jones crawled behind the locked and secured stall counter and used a large kitchen knife to cut the sheet covering the jewellery cabinet. He grabbed jewellery before crawling back out and fleeing.
As he left the shopping centre he removed his mask and revealed his identity.
The first robbery of the Sunglass Hut was on September 29, when Jones was working with a female accomplice. Police said she had earlier been seen passing Jones a green tote bag from the mall while in a vehicle parked in the underground car park.
The female staff member asked if the pair were shopping together and, when Jones’ associate replied no, Jones grabbed two sets of sunglasses.
When the staff member reached out for the glasses, Jones said “Don’t do anything,” then opened his jacket to show her a knife or a stick about 15cm long.
Jones then grabbed more sunglasses and left.
About 5pm on October 3, the same staff member was on duty when Jones returned, this time with a hammer.
She recognised Jones and, as she went to call security, she said to him, “Oh, not again.”
Jones responded “I have to” and showed her the hammer before grabbing several pairs of Versace glasses and leaving.
Defence lawyer Ellie Dyche argued a prison sentence of 2½ years was appropriate given Jones’ difficult upbringing and his methamphetamine addiction, his remorse and offers to participate in restorative justice meetings.
She urged Judge Mason to consider sentence parity in terms of the first robbery, pointing out that Jones’ accomplice had her aggravated robbery charge reduced to theft and received a jail term of three to four months.
She further argued Jones’ prior convictions were relatively minor and his remorse letters and sentencing reports showed he was motivated to rehabilitate himself, including by tackling his drug addiction.
Crown prosecutor Larissa Mulder said the Crown accepted Jones’ difficult upbringing and meth addiction were mitigating factors. However, he played “lead roles” in the robberies and the burglary and she argued sentence parity with his accomplice was not appropriate.
The judge said it was clear Jones had a “particularly difficult” upbringing with “very little support” and “exited” from the education system early with little or no parental oversight. He was also exposed to violence and drugs.
“It’s good to see you are trying to do something about your addiction and I am satisfied on a totality basis that an endpoint of two years and five months’ prison is appropriate,” she said.
She told Jones that, given the time he had spent in prison since his arrest in October, he would shortly be eligible to apply for parole.
She urged him to do everything in his power to be able to present the most favourable case to the Parole Board and “not just walk out of prison and become the same person” he was before his arrest.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.
