Whanganui court: Recidivist aggravated robber given another 'chance' to avoid jail, gets home detention

Arama Peke-Meihana has avoided jail for an attempted aggravated robbery using a loaded shotgun despite having a previous conviction for aggravated robbery. Photo /

A recidivist offender with a previous conviction for aggravated robbery will get to serve his sentence at home despite previously struggling with his home detention and electronic bail conditions.

Arama Peke-Meihana appeared before Judge Ian Carter in the Whanganui District Court on Monday for sentencing on one charge of attempted aggravated robbery. The charge carries a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.

The summary of facts states Peke-Meihana, along with two co-defendants and an unknown female, planned to rob their victim of $10,000 cash on September 24, 2020.

The female had arranged a meeting at the end of Seafront Rd, Whanganui, with the victim, who boasted about getting a large ACC payout on social media, so he could look at her four-wheel-drive.

However, she didn't show and instead Peke-Meihana and a co-defendant converged on the vehicle occupied by the victim and his partner, brandishing a loaded shotgun and a crutch being brandished as a firearm.

One offender yelled at the victim to hand over the cash before smashing a window with the butt of the gun.

After a brief struggle over the firearm, the victim and his partner sped away from the scene.

They saw the offenders' car had got stuck in the sand and the trio were running through the sand dunes trying to hide the gun.

Peke-Meihana refused to comment to police.

Defence lawyer Roger Crowley said Peke-Meihana, who was supported in court by his parents and partner, was both emotionally and intellectually immature.

Crowley said the 20-year-old had not offended while on E-bail and the most important thing in his life was his child.

Peke-Meihana also offered to pay $2000 in emotional harm to his victims.

Judge Carter said the ordeal had significantly affected both victims.

He noted the cultural report didn't paint a picture of Peke-Meihana experiencing a deprived childhood; instead, he had been raised in a loving, supportive, stable and structured environment.

Peke-Meihana, who wrote letters of apology to his victims and had attended spiritual healing sessions, had gone off the rails later in life after mixing with the wrong people, including some associated with gangs.

Judge Carter detailed Peke-Meihana had received warnings for not complying with his E-bail conditions and had struggled with the restrictions of a previous sentence of home detention imposed for another aggravated robbery.

However, after applying discounts for remorse and giving Peke-Meihana credit for the time spent on E-bail, Judge Carter came to an end sentence of 22 months' imprisonment which he then converted to 11 months' home detention.

"It's a further chance to demonstrate you can comply."

Peke-Meihana was also ordered to pay each victim $1000 emotional harm reparation and $175 for the broken window.

Court documents show in 2019 Peke-Meihana was sentenced to two years and nine months' imprisonment in the Palmerston North District Court after pleading guilty to a charge of aggravated robbery.

He and two associates had robbed a student flat of gaming consoles, cellphones, televisions, a laptop and a gold watch, while their faces were covered by bandannas and they were armed with metal bars.

The sentence was appealed in the High Court, which resulted in Peke-Meihana receiving 12 months' home detention in March 2019.