Aggravated robbery leaves grocery shop worker traumatised and struggling to sleep

Chaaka Taipeti-Woods was sentenced for aggravated robbery after stealing cigarettes and tobacco from a Porirua grocery store in January 2022.

A traumatised dairy worker stopped selling cigarettes after a homeless woman confronted him jabbing and swiping him with a large knife before taking off with almost $2000 worth of tobacco.

The worker’s victim impact statement describes how he was left scared, struggled to return to work and had difficulties sleeping as a result of the incident in the Porirua store. As a result of the theft of $1731 in cigarettes and tobacco, the store owners stopped selling cigarettes to avoid being a target and had lost income from that.

But in sentencing Chaaka Taipeti-Woods, 28, for the aggravated robbery in the Wellington District Court on Wednesday, Judge Andy Nicholls complemented the new mother on how far she had come since the robbery in January 2022, describing her change in circumstances as “impressive”.

At the time of the offending Taipeti-Woods was living on the streets with an abusive partner. Walking into the store to find the worker out the back she put her hood up, went behind the counter and began helping herself to cigarettes and tobacco pouches. When the worker returned, he challenged her. She pulled out a long knife, jabbing and swiping at him and he picked up a box to protect himself before she fled the store.

Her lawyer Michael Hay told the court that the offending was drug-related and she simply wanted to get high.

The court heard Taipeti-Woods’ background was characterised by abuse and violence. She was placed in state care at age 6, smoked cannabis at the age of 8 and methamphetamine at age 12. Her parents were often absent, and her father died when she was 13 years old.

But Hay said the reports prepared for the court showed his client had acknowledged her offending, was remorseful and motivated to change. Now living in Gisborne with a supportive partner and newborn she was engaging with agencies and was motivated to tackle her addiction.

Prosecutor Mitchell Heslip said the Crown accepted that a non-custodial sentence was appropriate and was also encouraged by the reports prepared for the court.

Judge Nicholls initially adopted a starting point of four years in jail but converted that to a community-based sentence to reflect the changes Taipeti-Woods had made to her life.

He said he didn’t want her children to be let down the same way adults in her life had let her down.

Imposing a sentence of three months community detention and 18 months intensive supervision, the judge explained the community sentence would normally be longer, but he took into account the challenges she would face undertaking the sentence with a newborn daughter. He encouraged her to keep working with authorities and ask for help.

The sentencing started late after an “administrative error” meant there was no AVL with the Gisborne courthouse. But by Facetiming Taipeti-Woods on her lawyer’s cellphone, as it sat on the judge’s bench, it went ahead.

“Keep working hard and looking after your baby. Good luck,” judge Nicholls told her before hanging up.

Catherine Hutton is an Open Justice reporter, based in Wellington. She has worked as a journalist for 20 years, including at the Waikato Times and RNZ. Most recently she was working as a media advisor at the Ministry of Justice.