A young armed robber used an electric scooter to get between heists committed to pay drug debts.
After fleeing empty-handed twice, Mairangi Hector Ngakuru became more brutal, grabbing a fish and chip worker by the collar and pulling her across the counter towards him.
The woman’s colleagues intervened and pulled her back to safety before he again scootered off without cash.
But he did manage to steal a till from the neighbouring Dinsdale Subway, and a $600 speaker from JB Hi-Fi.
Ngakuru appeared for sentencing in the Hamilton District Court last week on charges of theft, aggravated robbery, demanding with menaces, assault with intent to rob, and two charges of possession of an offensive weapon.
The 24-year-old used a knife to cut a security tag from a $598 portable speaker at JB Hi-Fi on September 19 last year before walking out with it and riding off on his e-scooter.
The following week, he rode his scooter to Subway Dinsdale and walked in heavily disguised, wearing a balaclava, his hood up and gloves.
He pulled out a knife on the sole staff member cleaning the counter and demanded cash from the till or he would “shank” him.
The victim opened the till and stepped back, while Ngakuru grabbed the cash and fled again on his scooter.
About half an hour later, he rode to Pizza Hut Dinsdale, again heavily disguised.
The staff member asked how she could help, and Ngakuru pulled out a knife and told her to give him money from the till.
However, she said she couldn’t open it as she wasn’t the manager.
Ngakuru calmly replied, “No, you come towards me and open the till”.
She turned and ran into the storeroom, while Ngakuru scootered across the road to Westside Takeaways.
He walked in wearing the same clothes and approached the female staff member with the knife and demanded the till.
The victim spoke little English and didn’t comply, so Ngakuru grabbed her by the collar of her shirt and pulled her across the counter towards him.
He held the knife a few centimetres from her throat before two other staff members intervened and pulled her away, as Ngakuru yelled for the till.
He left empty-handed after pulling out the till’s power cable.
The victim was left shaken but unhurt.
The following month, police went to his Grange Rd home to arrest him when he fled out the back door and jumped several fences.
He was then seen walking along Wall St before running off towards Roy St.
Ngakuru was caught on a property on Norman St, where he threw a small pocket knife.
He also had a meat cleaver down his pants.
Searching his house, police found the scooter, stolen speaker and clothing worn in the robberies.
In mitigation, Ngakuru’s counsel Nadine Baier said her client had some criminal history but nothing as serious as this.
He was remorseful, had never been to prison, and the most serious sentence he’d served was supervision.
He’d also been trying to resolve the charges since January.
Judge Tompkins asked her about the meat cleaver found down her client’s pants.
“Yes, but it wasn’t involved in the offending ... it was tucked down the waistband of his pants,” she replied.
As for reparation, he was “of limited means, to none”, however, she noted the speaker was recovered by police.
The judge said Ngakuru had a propensity for violence, drug abuse and antisocial activities and associates.
“Ms Baier has provided to the court a letter of remorse which indicates, as is readily apparent ... that the defendant had been using methamphetamine and had been awake for some days when the offences were committed in order to repay drug purchases he owed.”
However, he said somebody who was prepared to arm himself and “run around multiple stores committing this offending is someone who the community is going to need protection from”.
He allowed credits of 25% for his guilty pleas and 15% for his drug addiction and section 27 factors, and jailed him for three and a half years.
He also issued a first strike warning and ordered him to pay reparation of $998.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.