Robbery jury shown around tavern

Police investigating the Onerahi Tavern robbery believed it could be an inside job and said so in a court-sworn affidavit used to get search warrants, Whangarei District Court has heard.
A six man, six woman jury is hearing evidence in the Whangarei District Court in the trial of three people accused of the aggravated robbery of Onerahi Tavern.
Whangarei brothers Wiri Poai Pugh, 32 and Royce Dean Pugh, 21, and Wiri Pugh's girlfriend Roberta Alison Henry, 29, are jointly charged that together they robbed the tavern of $44,353 on July 22, 2007.
Crown prosecutor Nicole Dore said the Pugh brothers were the principal offenders who went into the tavern armed with knives and covering their faces with bandanas, while Henry was a party to the robbery as their getaway driver.
She said the Pughs went to the Tavern about 11pm that night and one of them approached bar manager Marion (Mac) Hakaraia and bar worker Tanya Munro who were outside having a cigarette and drink after their shifts.
She said they shoved Ms Munro into a cupboard before making Ms Hakaraia open the safes, then putting her in the cupboard.
However, the defence case is that while the trio admit taking part, it was theft, not robbery as Ms Hakaraia had set the job up with Wiri Pugh and Ms Munro was also involved.
Yesterday the jury, along with the three accused, lawyers, Judge Robert Kerr and court and security staff visited the crime scene.
In his evidence to the court Whangarei Police Detective Kelly Penney said he signed an affidavit to the court on August 18 last year seeking search warrants of addresses associated with the Pugh brothers and Ms Hakaraia and Ms Munro.
Information in the affidavit was based on the work of the police team investigating.
Concerns about the possibility of it being an inside job included that the robbery occurred straight after the staff had finished cashing up from the tavern's tills and pokie machines, with all the money in one place, rather than several spots.
Police were concerned that the robbers knew their way around parts of the tavern that the public would not.
The robbers also appeared to know where the security cameras were located and avoided looking at them. Also Ms Hakaraia had previously handed in her notice, intending to move to Australia, and there were inconsistencies in the two women's statements.
A few days after swearing the affidavit and the search warrants were executed Mr Penney conducted a video interview with Royce Pugh.
In the interview Royce Pugh said his brother had told him that he had arranged the "job" with Ms Hakaraia.