Rebels gangster Cliff Wharerau jailed for Northland kidnapping and shooting at police officer

Cliff Wharerau appeared in the High Court at Whangārei for sentencing on Friday. Photo / NZME

In the dead of night, a young man who was sitting in his car on the side of the road was taken and then bound and thrown into the boot of a stranger’s car. He didn’t know whether he would live or die.

However, he managed to escape and as he ran from his kidnappers, they chased him while firing bullets in his direction.

“The courage it took to escape, them chasing you, then hearing a gunshot, knowing, if they caught you, we would never know where you were,” the young man’s mother said while reading her victim impact statement at the sentencing of his kidnapper, Cliff Wharerau, on Friday.

Wharerau was in the High Court at Whangārei before Justice Michael Robinson after he was found guilty by a jury in December of aggravated robbery, using a firearm against law enforcement, kidnapping, participating in organised crime, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and two counts of arson.

The jury heard that in the days leading up to Labour weekend 2020, Wharerau and Alexander Coe, who are both members of the Rebels MC gang, planned to rob a bank and an Armourguard truck. Their young prospect *David was also in on the idea.

The trio scoped out Northland, arranged a decoy car and rehearsed practice runs to execute their criminal plan.

But it took a turn on the evening of October 26 when they saw a “side hustle” opportunity - a young man parked on the side of a road.

They forced him out of his vehicle at gunpoint, blindfolded him and made him lie on the ground while they took his phone, keys and bank card.

With the victim in the backseat of the car, Wharerau drove him to ATMs around Northland to get cash from his bank account. At some point, his wrists were bound and he was moved to the boot of the vehicle.

In the early hours of the following morning, the victim managed to escape the boot while in Matauri Bay and sought help from a resident.

But before he got to safety he was chased by his kidnappers, who fired shots at him.

After Wharerau and his associates failed to catch their victim, they headed back to the mid-North area.

As they were driving along Puketona Rd towards Kerikeri they noticed a marked police car travelling behind them.

The men stopped their vehicle in front of the police officer’s car and got out with a firearm. A shot was fired at its windscreen while the officer was still in the car.

The police car that was shot at. Photo / Police

After the pair fled the scene, Wharerau set fire to the young man’s car, which they had stolen, and returned to Auckland.

At the trial of Wharerau and Coe, the jury deliberated for four days before finding Wharerau guilty on all charges and Coe guilty of possession of a firearm and participating in an organised criminal group.

The impact of the offending on their victims, including the police officer, was highlighted at Wharerau’s sentencing and was described as having a lasting effect.

The young man’s mother said her son was taking a nap in his car before work when he was taken by the trio.

She said he has since lost his spark.

“You’re not the same perky boy you used to be, always smiling, always laughing. It’s been over three years and I still see you struggle every day,” she told the court.

“It’s an ongoing battle, this is something that hasn’t left you. There were times I didn’t think you would survive this trauma, hopefully with the conclusion today, you can find some peace.”

Crown prosecutor Richard Annandale said he could only imagine what the man went through and that the shot fired at the police officer was intentional.

“She was ambushed.

“It was not fired as a warning shot, it was fired with clear intent. The officer was the only one in the police car. Where the pellets struck is clearly where someone would be seated.

“It was just sheer luck the officer was not injured. Wharerau knew it was a police officer when he fired. His DNA was on a cartridge,” Annandale said.

The officer has since resigned because of the incident.

Wharerau’s lawyer Chris Muston submitted his client still maintains his innocence and that the kidnapping was a spontaneous incident.

“To suggest this is a well-organised criminal group is an exaggeration,” Muston said.

Justice Michael Robinson was satisfied that Wharerau had a lead role in the offending and sentenced him to 13 years’ and seven months’ imprisonment.

Alexander Coe was sentenced to three years and five months’ imprisonment.

Wharerau indicated he would appeal his conviction.

* Names have been changed due to name suppression court orders.

Shannon Pitman is a Whangārei-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the Te Tai Tokerau region. She is of Ngāpuhi/ Ngāti Pūkenga descent and has worked in digital media for the past five years. She joined NZME in 2023.