Man armed with axe jumps out of bushes with co-offenders to rob victim of ute

Bryce Karne Paterson admitted several charges including aggravated robbery, assault with a weapon and driving offences in the Hamilton District Court today. Photo / Facebook

A man armed with an axe jumped out of bushes as his co-offenders surrounded their victim’s ute, after luring him there on the premise of an “exchange of items”.

It remains unclear exactly what “items” Bryce Karne Paterson and his associates were after on September 20, last year, at an undisclosed location at Taupiri, south of Huntly.

Whatever they were, the 32-year-old had armed himself with an axe and demanded the ute owner get out of his vehicle. The victim eventually managed to get away unscathed.

He had earlier been contacted by one of Paterson’s co-offenders, to meet up and exchange items between themselves.

The victim arrived at the meeting location, where he saw a grey BMW with two co-offenders, a man and a woman, inside.

The man got out and approached the victim’s ute.

It was at that point, that Paterson and two others ran from nearby bushes and threatened the victim, demanding he get out of his ute.

One of the co-offenders grabbed the victim’s arm but he broke free and ran to a nearby house.

As he ran, the axe was thrown in his direction.

When the victim returned to his vehicle, loaded with about $8000 worth of tools, it was gone.

On September 30, Paterson was seen driving a Lexus stolen from a Hamilton East house the day before.

It had been reverse parked up a shared driveway in Breckons Ave, Nawton.

Paterson was in the driver’s seat when police drove down the driveway and activated their flashing lights.

He took the opportunity to accelerate, using the vehicle as a weapon, but maneuvered around the patrol car, narrowly missing it, and sped off. He was stopped after a short pursuit.

Paterson today appeared in the Hamilton District Court where he admitted charges of aggravated robbery, assault with a weapon, failing to stop, driving while disqualified and unlawfully getting into a motor vehicle.

He was convicted by Judge Arthur Tompkins and remanded in custody for sentencing in July.

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.