Puketewhero Rikihana (formerly known as Nigel Dixon) appears in the Rotorua District Court. Photo / Andrew Warner
The infamous Rotorua criminal formerly known as Nigel Dixon has been jailed for a violent “out-of-nowhere” bashing and robbery that left a mother so frightened, she and her children left Rotorua soon after.
The 37-year-old, who has changed his name to Puketawhero Ariki Wikiriwhi Rikihana and now sports an ear-to-ear facial tattoo, also committed two violent attacks in prison while he waited for the aggravated robbery case to be dealt with.
The aggravated robbery saw him and a co-offender, Natasha Lacy, follow a car in Rotorua with a man and woman inside until it stopped. Rikihana, who was the main offender, bashed the man inside the car and stole their money and personal items.
While in prison on remand, Rikihana’s temper raged again and he was charged after bashing a fellow inmate and a prison officer on separate occasions.
Rikihana appeared for sentencing in the Rotorua District Court on Wednesday on four charges: aggravated robbery, possession of an offensive weapon and two of assault with intent to injure.
Rikihana made headlines when he was known as Nigel Dixon. As a 17-year-old, he copped a break from a local judge who wiped his $43,000 court fines for various offences, mainly traffic-related, in exchange for 300 hours of community work.
At the time, he told the media he had racked up so many fines and failed to pay them because he “hated the cops”.
He has appeared in the Rotorua Daily Post several times in reports of his criminal offending but gave an interview in 2012 when he became a Destiny Church Christian, saying he had turned his life around, was helping police by working with young people and had beaten his paranoid schizophrenia issues and was no longer on medication.
But just over a year later, he did an aggravated robbery at a Rotorua dairy on Christmas Day in 2013. Police spotted him on Boxing Day and a high-speed chase through the Bay of Plenty region ensued, involving several police cars and a helicopter.
It was reported at the time that Dixon was travelling at up to 160km/h and on both sides of the road, with cars having to swerve to avoid hitting him. Two police cars were damaged in the chase. It finally ended when his car flipped on its side after he attempted to drive off a 2m-high bank.
His mother, Sue Dixon, spoke out to told the Rotorua Daily Post in 2014 about her struggles with the mental health system to get help for her son, despite her pleas and fears he would offend.
It took nearly two years for Rikihana’s latest offending to be dealt with in the court after several delays, including assessments about whether he was mentally fit to stand trial and a change of defence counsel.
Rikihana pleaded guilty two weeks before his trial.
In court this week, Judge John Walker detailed the facts of Rikihana’s offending, saying he and Lacy followed a vehicle in Rotorua on September 16, 2021.
The victims tried to hide and parked in a dark area but Rikihana pulled in behind them. He banged on the windows and forced his way into the back seat. Without warning, he punched the man several times in the face and demanded items, taking a mobile phone and cigarettes.
The victims tried to leave but they became stuck in their car. Rikihana again drove towards the car, got back into the rear seat and demanded everything they had. He was given a wallet containing about $230.
Lacy demanded a bag from the woman in the car while brandishing a wine bottle and banging it against a window, robbing the woman of her bag, wallet and mobile phone.
Lacy was sentenced earlier this year to 10 months’ home detention.
Rikihana was found by police a short time later. Judge Walker said Rikihana produced a sharp knife from inside the car door.
Judge Walker said it would have been a “terrifying event” for the victims.
“It came out of nowhere for them. The female victim, a mother with two children, said it was the final straw that led to her taking herself and her children away from Rotorua. She now felt unsafe.”
Judge Walker noted Rikihana had long suffered from schizophrenia, delusional beliefs and had a history of head injury.
“Your mental illness didn’t cause you to act in the way that you did. Do not think the effect of your illness and conditions on your thought processes and readiness to resort to violence can be ignored.”
He said the effect of imprisonment on Rikihana was greater than on people without mental health issues because of the limited support and help he would be offered in prison. For that reason, he reduced his sentence by 20 per cent, or nine and a half months.
On the charge of aggravated robbery Rikihana was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
He was given a six-month concurrent sentence for possession of an offensive weapon. On two charges of assault with intent to injure, he was sentenced to 10 and a half months’ prison to be served cumulatively.
His end sentence was three years and seven and a half months.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.