Kawerau man Keelin Ruru used a 20-tonne loader to ram Murupara's NZCU bank in 2019, aiming to steal the contents of an ATM. Photo / Supplied
Kawerau man Keelin Ruru used a 20-tonne loader to ram Murupara's NZCU bank in 2019, aiming to steal the contents of an ATM. Photo / Supplied
A man's elaborate plan to ram-raid a bank using stolen heavy machinery couldn't have gone more wrong, walking away without a cent and a hefty prison sentence.
Keelin Kotene Ruru, 30, was on Tuesday sent to prison for a spree of burglaries in 2019, one of which more closely resembled scenes from a video game rather than a quiet Bay of Plenty town.
Ruru was sentenced on 10 charges relating to the burglaries, the most notable of which saw the theft of Murupara's only ATM using a 20-tonne loader which had also earlier been stolen.
The court heard that Ruru's burglary spree had begun days earlier when he broke into a commercial property near Whakatāne. While at the property, he stole a near-new Ford SUV, worth $80,000.
Soon after, Ruru broke into a Trustpower-owned property on the banks of the Rangitaiki River next to the Matahina Dam. He began looking for more tools to help him with the burglary, stealing a custom-built trailer worth about $8000.
Then in the early hours of June 3, Ruru broke into the yard of a local Murupara logging company, stealing a front-end loader.
Ruru used a loader, similar to the one pictured here, to ram-raid a Murupara bank with the goal of stealing the contents of an ATM. Photo / NZME
He drove the loader to the NZCU bank on Pine Drive in the town, before ramming the building using the vehicle.
Ruru managed to wrench the ATM from the wall, picking it up and loading it on to a trailer attached to the getaway vehicle - the Ford SUV that was stolen earlier.
He managed to escape the scene with the ATM before police arrived, but never saw the fruits of his labour - the machine was found 8km from the scene in the Kaingaroa Forest with the cash still secured inside.
In court, Ruru consistently pleaded not guilty to the 10 charges, eventually pleading guilty "at the last minute" Tauranga District Court Judge Paul Mabey said.
Appearing via audio-visual link from prison, Ruru read what the Judge described as a well-composed letter to the court, detailing his remorse for the offending.
But the presentation wasn't enough to spare him from a lengthy prison sentence, with Judge Mabey determining Ruru had shown very little remorse.
"You are an intelligent and articulate man with a very strong apparent sense of entitlement," Judge Mabey told Ruru.
"I do not intend to give you any credit for remorse - you have not demonstrated that in any way, and your words in the letter are to me, only words.
"Anyone with genuine remorse would plead guilty much earlier than you did."
On a totality basis, Ruru was sentenced to four years and three months' imprisonment - four years for the offending, and an additional three-month prison term due to Ruru's prior history of offending.
