Woman sent to rehab following aggravated robbery in Whangārei

Mere Gilbert stole $500 from a man in a violent aggravated robbery. Photo / Getty Images

An emotional exchange between a man and the woman who violently robbed him played out in court, with the victim wishing her well and saying she didn’t have a “bad heart”.

Whangārei woman Mere Gilbert solemnly hung her head as her victim asked if robbing him of $500 was worth it.

“No,” she replied, via audio-visual link from prison custody.

The victim went on to tell Gilbert, 30, that he understood how she had found herself in a situation that saw her choose to offend, and the pressure she was under from others.

“I hold nothing against you now but hope in the future, you have an understanding of what I had to go through,” he told her while giving his impact statement at her sentencing in the Whangārei District Court this week.

Noting the violence and dishonesty crimes plaguing the country, he suggested Gilbert could now become a part of the solution.

“Maybe you can help us to stop it,” he said.

“I know you don’t have a bad heart and there is pressure on you to do certain things and consequences if you don’t.

Mere Gilbert has avoided a prison sentence. Photo/ 123rf

The victim told Gilbert he hoped the day of her sentencing was her last in custody.

It was at these words that she broke down and tearfully expressed remorse for her actions.

“If there is anything I can ever do to help you, I will,” she said.

Gilbert was appearing on a charge of aggravated robbery after she and her brother robbed the victim while he was driving.

The court heard that on December 22, 2020, the victim was socialising with Gilbert’s brother Morehu.

The victim was asked to give Morehu Gilbert and his friends a ride, to which he agreed, but soon into the trip things took a nasty turn.

Morehu Gilbert put the man into a headlock, causing him to pull the car over.

Mere Gilbert, who had been following behind in a vehicle of her own, then appeared at the car door and assaulted the man with several blows to the head.

She took $500 from him that had been hidden in his sock.

In court, the victim spoke openly to Gilbert about how the robbery had impacted him.

“I now experience nose bleeds, and headaches, my speech has been affected as I have lost teeth and bits of my teeth are still stuck in my mouth, causing me huge pain daily,” he told her.

Judge Greg Davis said he was grateful to the victim for sharing his statement, calling it “insightful”.

The judge asked the man what he thought should happen to Gilbert, given a community-based sentence was an option.

The victim said he was supportive of her entering a rehabilitation service.

Judge Davis said while Gilbert was looking at a starting point of two-and-a-half years’ imprisonment, following discussions with the victim and counsel, rehabilitation was the most appropriate outcome.

“I was struck by the generosity of [the victim],” the judge said, adding the man’s contribution had been invaluable.

“[His] desire was that her rehabilitative needs would be addressed.”

Gilbert was sentenced to seven months at the Grace Foundation, a residential rehabilitation centre for women.

Judge Davis said he hoped the victim’s words to her would help her avoid any future appearances before the court.

Morehu Gilbert has been sentenced for his role in the robbery.