Prison term for smash-and-grab

Press, 29 October 1981, Page 11

Prison term for smash-and-grab

A youth who took part in a series of smash-and-grab raids organised by members of the Mongrel Mob last year, was jailed for 15 months by Mr Justice Cook in the High Court yesterday. James William Rimene, aged 19, unemployed, had pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary of Petersens Jewellers. Ltd, New’ Regent Street, on October 20, 1980. He absconded while on bail awaiting sentence and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest.

Mr B. M. Stanaway appeared for the Crown. Two other members of the gang. Hank Gerald Wiparata, aged 20, and Aarius Stuart Rutledge, aged 18, convicted of the same offence, have also absconded while on bail and have not been apprehended. A fourth member of the gang who took part in. the smash-and-grab raid. Robert

Francis Lindsay James, aged 21, was jailed for two years on that and other charges. The police statement said that the smash-and-grab raid had been planned at the headquarters of the Mongrel Mob in Barbadoes Street and gang members travelled to New Regent Street in a blue Valiant car.

The window of the shop, valued at $350, was smashed by Rimene with an iron bar and jewellery valued at $7378 was scooped into two blue plastic rubbish bags. The loot consisted of opals, pearls, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, garnet pendants, brooches, ear-rings, bracelets and clocks valued at $7378. Apart from one clock valued at $4l, the stolen jewellery has not been recovered. A taxi driver who witnessed the offence gave chase to the car in which members of the Mongrel Mob made their getaway: He radioed a description of the vehicle to his depot, but it managed to elude him during a high-speed chase. Before returning to the Mongrel Mob headquarters the two rubbish bags were hidden on a property in the Hills Road area by the gang members. When the Valiant car which was parked outside the gang headquarters was searched a stolen alarm

clock was found under the front seat.

Mr S. > C. Barker, for Rimene. said that the offence predated similar ones on which Rimene had been sentenced to Borstal training. He was released in July after serving eight months and had not offended since. It was hoped that he had learned his lesson and counsel submitted that a suspended sentence would be appropriate. His Honour said that Rimene and his associates had smashed the window of the jeweller’s shop and then grabbed as much as they could take. More than $7OOO worth of property was stolen.

It was a serious crime that required a deterrent penalty to protect the community. He noted with concern the dependence Rimene had developed upon gang membership which had led him into crime. If he did not cut his association with the gang he would spend increasingly longer terms in custody. The probation report showed that Rimene had shown an interest in Maori carving and carpentry and it was to be hoped that he would develop those talents. A suspended sentence was out of the question. The probation report did not indicate that that would be appropriate. said his Honour.