Hamilton man Kohl Gibbons jailed for armed burglary

Hamilton man Kohl Douglas Gibbons was jailed for three years and seven months on charges of aggravated burglary and using a document for pecuniary advantage. Photo / 123rf

A man armed with a shotgun forced his way into the house of two flatmates, including one who was asleep, before threatening them with gang retaliation and robbing them of property.

The victims were put through a frightening experience as Kohl Douglas Gibbons, who was unknown to them, marched them around the house at gunpoint, demanding their phones, drugs, cash and jewellery.

But the lure of McDonald’s three hours later proved to be Gibbons’s downfall, as he was caught on CCTV in the drive-through making a $92 purchase and arrested later that night.

Gibbons appeared for sentencing via audio-visual link in the Hamilton District Court today where Judge Noel Cocurullo jailed him for three years and seven months on charges of aggravated burglary and using a document - one of the victim’s bank cards for takeaways.

‘Give me your drugs, cash, and jewellery’

Gibbons knocked on the door of the victims’ Whatawhata home at 1.30am on October 21 last year.

Victim A opened the door to be confronted by Gibbons pointing the .22 sawn-off rifle in his face - with headlamp on - and asked him if he was another person.

The victim said he wasn’t that person, then Gibbons pointed toward inside the house and demanded he go in and get victim B.

He then asked him if there was anyone else home, and victim A said it was only himself and his brother whom he woke up.

Gibbons then forced the pair into the lounge and demanded their phones, which they handed over.

He then asked for drugs, cash, and jewellery, but the victims said they didn’t have any. Gibbons said he was at their house “on behalf of the gangs” and that they wouldn’t want them there otherwise there would be trouble.

He continued to follow the victims around as he searched wardrobes, boxes and drawers until he’d searched the whole house.

Then he put his focus on the numerous 50 vehicles that were on the property and searched through them all.

He didn’t find anything of value so they all went back inside where he talked of taking some cars, before going off to make a phone call.

Gibbons returned to the lounge and told them he was going to take some property from inside the house and not to call the police.

He then forced them out the back and told them to stay outside - which is when they took the opportunity to flee to a neighbour’s house and called the police.

Meanwhile, Gibbons fled with a large amount of property but was spotted going through the Taupiri McDonald’s at 5.15am the same morning in his silver Ford Falcon.

He was arrested at a Hamilton East property that night.

Counsel Amanda Bean handed Judge Cocurullo a remorse letter and sought a total of 65 per cent in discounts for his guilty plea, remorse, Section 27 cultural report, and drug addiction.

But crown solicitor Scarlett Hartstone urged the judge against several discounts stating his addiction and S27 report were “one and the same”, and urged he not issue anything for remorse or rehabilitation.

Judge Cocurullo agreed with Hartstone to a degree and came to a total of 45 per cent off his earlier sentence indication starting point of six years in jail, to get down to three years and seven months.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20.