Latest news with #aggravatedrobbery
RNZ News
3 days ago
- RNZ News
Woman forced out of car by armed offenders after robbery in Whangārei
The men appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Thursday charged with aggravated robbery and demands to steal. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon Police are appealing for information about an aggravated robbery in Whangārei on Wednesday, in which two armed men forced a woman out of her car. Detective Senior Sergeant Michelle Harris said the pair then drove off at high speed, damaging four other cars as they fled. She said police found the men with help from the public and arrested them at a nearby property. Officers also seized their weapons. Members of the public were left shaken after witnessing the robbery, she said. The men appeared in the Whangārei District Court on Thursday charged with aggravated robbery and demands to steal. Harris said police wanted to hear from anyone who was at Paramount Plaza, in Tikipunga, between 12.30 and 2pm Wednesday and saw anything that could be connected to the robbery. Police would also like to see any CCTV or cell phone footage of the incident. Harris urged anyone with information that could help the investigation to lodge a report online or call 105, quoting file number 250604/4542.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- General
- RNZ News
DNA helps unveil identity of pizza store robber after he left police scanner at scene
By Belinda Feek, Open Justice reporter of Charles Wilson, 41, was jailed when he appeared for sentencing in the Hamilton District Court for his part in the aggravated robbery of Hell Pizza Beerescourt in 2022. Photo: NZME / Belinda Feek A prolific burglar, on electronically monitored bail after breaking into a string of businesses, was busted for an aggravated robbery after leaving a police scanner - with his DNA on it - at the scene. Charles Wilson tried to convince a jury that he was only in the vicinity of Hell Pizza Beerescourt, Hamilton, because he was buying cannabis. He'd also tried to claim that his DNA was found on the scanner because he'd been selling them some months earlier. But, as Judge Stephen Clark told him in the Hamilton District Court on Monday, "Clearly, the jury didn't believe you". Wilson, 41, was ultimately jailed for two years and seven months, a shorter time to be served on top of his current three-year and four-month term for a spate of city burglaries in 2021. Wilson unsuccessfully defended the aggravated robbery charge for his more recent crime during a two-day jury trial in the Hamilton District Court in March this year. Wilson and his co-offender, who was never identified, were first spotted on CCTV walking towards the store at about 10.55pm on 30 September, 2022. "One turned to the other to say, 'Are you ready?', and they entered the pizza store," the judge said. Both men were wearing face masks, gloves, and hoodies. One was also armed with a crowbar and held it up threateningly while the other took the cash register. CCTV footage on Victoria Street showed the offenders running across the street away from Hell Pizza. Wilson was on electronically monitored bail at the time, and the jury had to decide whether Wilson was one of the two offenders. Although the Crown case was based on circumstantial evidence, it included movements uncovered from his monitored bracelet. It revealed that he left his house at 10.29pm and returned at 11.09pm. A Corrections staff member also testified that Wilson had been "foiling, or interfering, with his tag". Most important was the ESR evidence that came from a police scanner that was left on the counter and the DNA that was linked to Wilson. "That was extremely strong scientific support ... that it originated from you," the judge said. Wilson - who suffered a stroke while in custody on the charge - chose to give evidence, and while he admitted leaving his property, he denied foiling his bracelet. He said he went to buy cannabis at a Fairfield property, and gave specific details travelling from Bader, along Ulster St, and across the Fairfield Bridge and back again. As for the DNA on the scanner, Wilson said he knew a lot about police scanners and was selling them to help raise funds for his daughter. Crown solicitor Lexie Glaser said the armed robbery involved a high degree of premeditation and targeted the store, knowing that it was likely to have a decent amount of cash. Neither the store owner nor the staff wanted to provide victim impact statements, so it was unclear exactly how much money was stolen, but the till carried a $200 float. Complicating the sentencing slightly was the fact that Wilson was currently serving jail time on the burglary charges. Defence counsel Melissa James pushed for what's called a totality adjustment - or a shorter jail term - as although the offending happened when he was in the community, charges weren't laid until he was in custody. But Glaser disagreed and pushed for a four-and-a-half-year jail term to be added on top of his current prison time. As for remorse, James said her client had every right to defend the charge, and he must now live with the verdict. But it didn't mean he wasn't remorseful, she said. He was also taking steps towards rehabilitation as he was not only a father, but now a grandfather. "So his life is quite different. "There is motivation to make changes." Judge Clark noted Wilson's lengthy criminal history, which was littered with burglary convictions. "You have a very bad history of offending, Mr Wilson. "There are no aggravated robberies, but it runs to nine pages and includes 16 burglaries, 11 for receiving, and other dishonesty." A background report revealed a disruptive upbringing involving abuse and violence. It also revealed Wilson got "a rush" from committing crimes. He was also affiliated with Black Power. Judge Clark declined to issue any credit for remorse, but agreed with James' submission to add a cumulative jail term on top of his current sentence. He jailed Wilson for an additional two years and seven months. * This article was first published by The New Zealand Herald
RNZ News
20-05-2025
- RNZ News
Man behind armed pub robberies denied parole for third time
File photo. Photo: RNZ / Dan Cook The Parole Board has refused to release serial masked robber Douglas Roake from prison, saying it remains in the dark as to the reasons for his offending. The 30-year-old carried out six armed pub robberies in Canterbury over a month and a half in 2017, before invading a rural home in Rolleston and shooting a mother and her daughter. He was jailed for 13 years and eight months with a minimum non-parole period of six and a half years. Roake, who was 23 at the time, was arrested in April 2017. He pleaded guilty to six charges of aggravated robbery, as well as two of wounding with intent to injure and two charges of presenting a firearm. He committed the home invasion after robbing the Ashburton Hotel, and it later became known that he had robbed several other bars at gunpoint in Canterbury including the Brickworks Bar - which he hit twice - the Springston Hotel and Trevinos Bar and Restaurant. Roake appeared before the Parole Board last July, where concerns were raised about his different accounts of the offending, as he accepted his initial explanation had not been truthful. Parts of the decision released on Tuesday were redacted, but showed that Roake had provided some further information about the offending which indicated he had not been acting alone when he committed the robberies. He told the board he had lied when he was first arrested because he did not know how to tell the truth. He said he received a cut of the proceeds of each robbery and was hopeful of receiving a cut on subsequent occasions which influenced his decision to agree to further robberies. Roake also said he used some of the proceeds to buy more guns. At sentencing, Judge Jane Farish said Roake's offending was "inexplicable" and the police, lawyers, his family and the victims were all baffled as to why he acted in such a serious violent fashion, with this lack of clarity raising issues around risk of reoffending. The board said it still did not have a complete understanding of why the offending occurred, "nor are we confident of which explanation we can rely on". It said the psychological reports before the board did not provide a complete picture of Roake's personality features and how they could contribute to any future risk of further violent offending. "Given the very serious nature of this offending, we also struggle to understand how we can be confident that Roake will not develop misplaced beliefs or perceptions in the future or rely on fantasy movie scripts to enact further violence. "Nor are we confident that [withheld] he would not be vulnerable again to taking extreme actions when pressured." When asked how the board could be satisfied nothing like this could happen again, Roake said if he felt threatened or pressured in the future he would contact police. The board declined parole as it did not have the necessary information to assess future risk. It requested another psychological report focused on his personality features and neurodiversity related issues and how they may be relevant to his risk of reoffending. The board said it did not require further exploration of Roake's explanations of his offending, as that had been well traversed, unless the psychologist considered it to be important. "With five and a half years left on his sentence and the uncertainties around his risk, we consider that a lengthy period of reintegration is required." Roake has been in self-care for seven months at the Otago Corrections Facility, has been working in the external grounds and on occasion has worked in the dairy farm. He will appear in front of the parole board again next April. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
RNZ News
17-05-2025
- RNZ News
Lynnmall incident: Suspect still on the run after police raid
Lynnmall. Photo: Ziming Li A man has been charged with aggravated robbery and a second suspect is still on the loose after police swarmed Auckland's LynnMall on Saturday. At about 5pm, police were called to Batkin Road where a person reported being robbed by two men and threatened with a firearm. The offenders fled in the victim's vehicle, which was tracked by the police Eagle helicopter to LynnMall on Great North Road. Police said a 25-year-old has been charged with aggravated robbery and was due to appear in Auckland District Court on Monday. They are still looking for the second suspect. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
BBC News
12-05-2025
- BBC News
Aggravated robbery reported in Kempton Park racecourse car park
A reported aggravated robbery in a racecourse car park has led to a police appeal for men threatened the victims with a bladed weapon and demanded their jewellery in Kempton Park racecourse car park, according to Surrey happened at about 14:00 BST on Thursday, police suspects are described as white men, the first around 5ft 7in (1.7m) tall, of skinny build, and wearing a black tracksuit bottom and the second of muscular build, wearing dark clothing. Police said the driver of a getaway vehicle was described as a white man, in his early twenties, of slim build and with sandy blonde who witnessed the incident or has any information that may help the investigation is asked to contact Surrey Police.
