Five youths made off with more than $50,000 in jewellery from the aggravated robbery. Photo / Michael Cunningham
A teenager has pleaded guilty to his involvement in a group armed robbery. Three women were injured and more than $50,000 worth of jewellery was stolen.
The 19-year-old, who has interim name suppression, pleaded guilty in front of Judge Gene Tomlinson in the Whangārei District Court this week to one charge of aggravated robbery, one charge of unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle and two further charges of burglary and unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle in Tauranga in December 2022.
According to a summary of facts released to NZME, the teen was part of a group that made a plan to arm themselves and rob the Whangārei branch of Michael Hill Jewellers. The store was in the Cameron Street mall and manned by one security guard and three female employees.
At about 3.45 pm on August 2, 2023, they arrived in a stolen Mitsubishi driving on to the footpath outside the store. Police say the group of five, who were allegedly armed with a hammer, crowbar, screwdriver and a tyre iron and disguised in hooded jackets, masks and gloves, ran into the store.
The security guard was overrun and unable to stop their advances as they began to smash glass display cabinets, removing rings, watches and other jewellery.
CCTV captured the 19-year-old smashing cabinets with an orange handle hammer and taking jewellery.
The summary of facts alleges one person in the group acted as a lookout outside the store while the remaining four continued the robbery.
Three female employees retreated to a backroom of the store. It’s alleged one member of the group leapt over a counter and chased them, kicking one of the women in her lower back and bringing her to the floor. The same male is also alleged to have threatened a second woman with a tyre iron, pushing her to the floor.
The summary of facts says he returned to the first woman, who was now on her knees covering her head with her arms, and swung the tyre iron at her striking her in the head.
A member of the public was outside the store filming the robbery and was allegedly kicked in the arm by the person on the lookout, preventing her from filming.
The group all got back into the stolen vehicle and left. A police chase was abandoned on Tarewa Road because of the dangerous manner of driving.
The jewellery and the vehicle were later located at a Raumanga address. The 19-year-old was arrested after his address was raided by police.
One of the victims was left extremely traumatised. Another suffered a cut to her cheek while a third had an abrasion to her forearm.
The 19-year-old will be sentenced in the Whangārei District Court on May 23 where he will seek permanent name suppression.
Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.
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