Four arrests in jewellery shop ram raid

Global Diamonds shop owner Barry Trass inspects the damage after his Cameron St business was ram raided on February 8. Photo/ John Stone

Four men have been charged over the early morning ram raid of a Whangārei jewellery business.

A stolen Jeep was driven through the front window of Global Diamonds on Cameron St in the central city about 2.30am on February 8.

The glass front doors and a security grille were smashed and furniture and display cabinets on the shop floor were damaged by the vehicle.

Pendants, watches and coins were taken from display cabinets before a fog cannon was activated and the jeep was driven off and eventually dumped near Whangārei Boys High School.

Business owner Barry Trass said while they opened later the same day, nearly a month later they were still dealing with the aftermath and fixing the $50,000 worth of damage.

News of the arrests was a confidence boost for Trass.

"I give full credit for what police have done ... it gives you confidence in the police. Four people have been arrested and are now going through the court process, hopefully justice will be served," Trass said. The business opened at the Cameron St site in November, after moving from around the corner in Rathbone St.

"The whole thing caused a lot of disruption and we are still not operating properly. It's just frustrating."

The youngest of the quartet is 17-year-old Luke Patrick Gurnick, of Otaika, who is charged with unlawfully entering Global Diamonds on January 8, and unlawfully taking a Jeep Wrangler valued at $46,000 from a Ngunguru property on February 7.

He is jointly charged with Hayden Lewis Jones, 21, of Kamo, Keeley Jordan Scott, a fisheries worker of Mangonui and Jake Gent, from Nukutawhiti, 51km northwest of Whangārei.

Scott faces further charges of unlawfully entering Atlas Quarries on September 8 last year, Winstone Quarry on September 5, entering a building belonging to Clements Contractors on September 5 and entering Greenfingers Landscaping on September 5.

Gent is on bail and will make his next court appearance on May 13 for a case review.

Gurnick and Jones are also on bail and will return to court on May 13, while Scott has been remanded in custody and will apply for bail via an audio visual link on March 13.

Detective Sergeant Josh Lautogo said the investigation was continuing and thanked members of the public for information they had given since the burglary, particularly about suspicious behaviour in the area before the ram raid.

He urged anyone who might have been offered cheap pendants or watches for sale to contact police on 0800 555 111 or Detective Sergeant Josh Lautogo at Whangarei police station on (09) 470 500.