Whangārei woman who assaulted Work and Income employee has been jailed after further offending

The offender pulled the Winz worker by her lanyard and threw a keyboard at her. Photo / NZME

A woman with a chronic history of dishonesty who assaulted a Whangārei Winz employee has failed in her pleas for a community-based sentence and instead has been jailed for 18 months.

Lynara Tautari-Watene, of Whangārei, appeared via audio-visual link from Auckland Women’s Prison for sentencing in the Whangārei District Court on Friday on one charge of burglary, six charges of obtaining a credit card and one charge of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle.

Judge Philip Rzepecky had sentenced Tautari-Watene last month to intensive supervision and community work for a violent assault on an employee of the Whangārei Work and Income office but was later put into custody on new dishonesty charges pending sentencing. On Friday she had last month’s sentence cancelled and the judge resentenced her on the Winz assault and the more recent charges.

In late 2022, Tautari-Watene was charged with assault with a blunt instrument after she became violent towards a Winz case manager, throwing hand sanitiser and a keyboard at her and then grabbing her around the neck by her lanyard.

On those charges, the accused waived her right to a pre-sentence report and was sentenced on the spot.

This week, Judge John McDonald ordered a comprehensive pre-sentence report which came with four previous sentencing notes, five previous pre-sentence reports and her bail history.

Judge McDonald said that over the years she had been sentenced to a range of options, from community work to imprisonment, yet nothing appeared to work.

District Court Judge John McDonald said he must keep the community safe in sentencing Tautari-Watene. Photo / NZME

Her lawyer, John Moroney, attempted to argue for a further intensive supervision sentence and Tautari-Watene was vocal in court, begging for another chance.

“It doesn’t make sense why I’m in jail. I’m not a threat any more,” a tearful Tautari-Watene said.

In her latest offending, Tautari-Watene entered a staff area of The Warehouse in Whangārei in February 2023. She stole a set of electronic car keys out of an employee’s jacket and proceeded to the car park to unlock the car remotely.

When she gained access to a Honda HR-V, she found three pay-wave cards and went on to use them at various outlets around the city.

Then in March 2023, she accessed another staff area - this time at the Farmers department store - where she stole a worker’s iPhone Max and debit card.

She used the card to buy several items, including a sorbet ice cream.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Stu Wilkes said: “With 28 pages of previous offences, there’s no indication she will change.”

Judge McDonald said because of the numerous sentencings over the years, the appropriate starting point was one of imprisonment.

“I must decide what is best for the community, sentencing is not all about the defendant. I propose to do that sentence today,” Judge McDonald said.

“We need to do something about your offending and stop what’s driving you.”

Tautari-Watene’s sentence of intensive supervision and community work was cancelled and she was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment on all charges.