Paihia bank incident: Bedside court hearing for kidnapping accused hurt in crash

St John medics, firefighters and police carry the critically injured driver from Monday's crash in Moerewa to the Northland Rescue Helicopter. Photo / Peter de Graaf

A bedside court hearing has been held for the man accused of extortion at a Paihia bank shortly before he was critically injured in a high-speed crash.

The 22-year-old, who is under police guard in Whangārei Hospital, was charged with kidnapping, unlawful possession of a firearm, unlawful possession of a pistol and dangerous driving.

The Tribesmen gang member and his 35-year-old partner allegedly made another man withdraw money from an ATM at the Paihia branch of the ASB about 10.30am on Monday. Alert bank staff notified police using a silent alarm.

The alleged offenders left the scene in separate vehicles. The woman was caught shortly afterwards when police vehicles boxed in her Audi next to the Countdown store on Paihia's Williams Rd.

Police say they found two loaded firearms, one of them a pistol, when they searched her vehicle.

The Holden Commodore was folded almost in half in the crash outside the Affco freezing works in Moerewa. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The man's Holden Commodore crashed into a tree and concrete fence posts outside the Affco freezing works in Moerewa about an hour later. He was not being chased by police at the time.

He suffered critical injuries when he was thrown from the vehicle and was airlifted to hospital.

The woman, named on court documents as Billy-Joe Witehira, is jointly charged with the 22-year-old on the kidnapping and unlawful possession of a firearm offences. She faces one extra charge of discharging a firearm in a public place.

Witehira was refused bail when she appeared in the Kaikohe District Court on Tuesday.

She is due back in court by audio-visual link from prison on December 14.

The head of the investigation, Detective Senior Sergeant Kevan Verry, said he could not comment further on the woman's charge of discharging a firearm because police were still conducting an investigation into other offenders.

A Whangārei Hospital spokeswoman said the man was in a stable condition in a ward.