Homeless gang member hit woman in face with spade during drug deal gone wrong

Quentin Phillips assaulted and robbed the driver of the car before forcing him to travel to the drug house in March this year. Photo / 123RF

A cannabis run turned nasty when a homeless gang member struck a woman across the face with a spade in an attempt to “roll” the people dealing the drug.

Quentin Phillips robbed and assaulted the man he had forced to drive him to the Kāpiti property, making the victim participate armed only with a glass bottle.

Phillips, 25, was sentenced yesterday in the Wellington District Court to two years and nine months’ imprisonment on charges of robbery, common assault and assault with intent to rob.

About midnight on March 21 this year, Phillips was at a central Wellington property when an acquaintance said he was going to Paraparaumu to buy cannabis.

Phillips decided to go along for the ride, but things took a violent turn when he told the acquaintance and his flatmate they were going to “roll” the people dealing the drug.

After he divulged his plan to the two men, the flatmate made an excuse and left the car, leaving Phillips and the acquaintance to talk.

Phillips took offence to the acquaintance’s reaction to the plan, lashing out and punching him in the face about five times.

He then demanded the man hand over his black bag which contained a wallet and phone, as well as the man’s car keys.

While the victim waited for his flatmate to return, Phillips punched him twice more in the face and demanded that he drive.

The victim told Phillips he didn’t want to rob anyone but was threatened by the gang member saying if he didn’t do what he wanted, he’d take his car.

When they arrived at the Paraparaumu address, Phillips asked if the victim had a balaclava or weapons in his car.

He said no and asked to stay in the car but Phillips refused his request as he didn’t want the man to drive away.

Quentin Phillips was sentenced yesterday in the Wellington District Court.

The two men approached the front door, Phillips armed with a spade and his first victim armed with a glass bottle.

A woman came to the door, and after persistently asking the woman to open the door, Phillips struck her across the face with the spade he had concealed behind his back.

The force of the strike left the woman with numerous injuries which required hospital treatment, including a gash to her left eyebrow and a black eye.

After the attack Phillips was attacked by the woman’s partner and the gang member and his first victim were chased from the property.

Lawyer Mike Kilbride, on behalf of Phillips, initially sought to adjourn the matter yesterday morning in the hope an electronically monitored sentence could be canvassed.

However, the hearing went ahead with Judge Peter Hobbs stating the sentence outcome would not meet the threshold for such a term.

Kilbride told the court that Phillips, a “passionate member of the gang”, had spoken to his associates and was willing to give up his patch and seek laser removal of his facial tattoos.

Phillips was exposed to violence, alcohol and drugs from an early age and it was said yesterday that his is upbringing led to his path of offending.

His prospects of rehabilitation were good, Kilbride said, as Phillips was homeless and using drugs at the time of the offending.

Judge Hobbs said although there was premeditation in his offending, it was not extensive or sophisticated and his offending had an inevitable impact on his victims.

The court heard Phillips was on a sentence of intensive supervision and was trying to regain custody of his son at the time of the attacks.

His background of deprivation was “clearly causative or at least causative in part”, Judge Hobbs said, and the efforts to set his life back on track by seeking rehabilitation and giving up the gang were positive.

“It does appear in the material before me that you are attempting to make positive changes and will continue to make positive changes when you are released from custody,” Judge Hobbs said.

Hazel Osborne is an Open Justice reporter for NZME and is based in Te Whanganui-a-Tara, Wellington. She joined the Open Justice team at the beginning of 2022, previously working in Whakatāne as a court and crime reporter in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.