Not guilty pleas maintained
Waimana General Store owner Ravdeep Sodhi has decided to proceed to trial on a raft of charges alleging he is responsible for migrant exploitation and violence.

Sodhi has denied charges of injuring with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, impeding breathing or blood circulation, assault with a weapon, threatening to kill or cause grievous bodily harm, and four counts of exploiting persons entitled to work.

The charges are being prosecuted by the Crown and relate to complainants who were migrant workers in his store.

He has denied charges of assault on a person in a family relationship, injuring with intent to injure and threatening to kill. They relate to a different complainant and have until this point been laid by police, but they are expected to be transferred to the Crown for prosecution.

Waimana General Store as a separate entity has denied four charges of exploiting persons entitled to work.

Lawyer David Pawson was granted leave to withdraw from the case, on the basis that the defendant had instructed lawyer Mark Ryan to act for him instead.

The case was remanded to Tauranga District Court for a jury callover hearing on November 7.

Rehabilitative sentence for dealer

Whakatāne man Adam Richmond, described in court as a low-level drug dealer, has been given a lengthy rehabilitative sentence.

Richmond, 38, was sentenced this week for dealing methamphetamine, possessing methamphetamine, speaking threateningly and two breaches of a protection order.

Lawyer Rebekah Webby said Richmond spent multiple months in custody while on remand and argued that the punitive element of sentencing had already been served.

She said a rehabilitative element was now required to help prevent him from reoffending.

Judge Ingram said Richmond’s offending was a product of his own drug use, and he was dealing to a few of his mates in small quantities.

“There’s no indication that he was making a whole lot of money from it.”

Police did not oppose the proposal to give Richmond a rehabilitative sentence.

Judge Ingram said the defendant had a limited criminal history and referred to a favourable probation report and evidence from a drug and alcohol report.

“All that points to someone very much in the grips of meth who then turned to small time dealing.”

The judge noted that Richmond had made a lot of progress since he was charged and had used his time usefully in the interim.

Richmond was sentenced to 18 months’ supervision.

AirBnB property damaged

Tauranga man Boyden Paul Ward has been sentenced to community work and ordered to pay reparation for damaging an AirBnB property in Wainui.

Ward, 23, pleaded guilty to common assault and two counts of wilful damage, the latter relating to a door and a TV.

Judge Ingram said Ward was at the address when he got into an argument with the victim, which led to pushing and shoving.

Ward pushed the victim to the floor, punched the door and threw the TV.

He was sentenced to 50 hours’ community work and ordered to pay $400 reparation.

Judge Ingram urged him to get his act together.

Case adjourned

Ricky-Lee Koroheke has been remanded in custody for two weeks after being found fit to participate in the court process.

Koroheke is yet to plead to charges of threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm, being unlawfully in an enclosed yard, assault with intent to rob, wilful damage, burglary and two counts of unlawfully interfering with a vehicle.

A mental health report assessing his fitness to plead has been provided to the court.

Koroheke was remanded without plea to allow time for his lawyer to receive instructions.

Fined for pipe

Ihaka Kohiti was fined $250 plus court costs for being in possession of a methamphetamine pipe.

Judge Ingram noted that Kohiti had not been reporting for community work, as required by a previous sentence, and questioned why.

Kohiti said he had just got onto a new course, so by Saturday he was “too buggered to do anything.”

Judge Ingram disagreed and told him to do his sentence.

He ordered the pipe be destroyed.

Sentencing adjourned for trial judge

The sentencing of Justin Timoti was adjourned to November, so it could occur before the judge that found him guilty at trial.

Timoti has been convicted of driving while disqualified, refusing to provide particulars of his identity to police, resisting police, refusing an officer’s request for blood, and failing to give his name.

A pre-sentencing report recommended a sentence of intensive supervision and community work, but Judge Ingram said he would require some convincing to impose that sentence.

Timoti was remanded on bail to November 5 for sentencing before Judge Paul Geoghegan.

Firearms sentencings scheduled

Bay Barsdell has been remanded on bail to October 9 for sentencing on a charge of unlawful possession of a firearm.

He pleaded guilty this week.

Gene Hustler, who the court heard was connected to the case, pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm and was remanded to the same date.

Amended wounding charge admitted

Whakatāne woman Michaela Hallinan pleaded guilty to three charges this week and has been remanded to October 9 for sentencing.

Police amended a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm down to one of wounding with reckless disregard – a difference in maximum prison term of seven years.

Hallinan pleaded guilty to the amended charge, and to theft from a person and wilful damage. The latter charges related to a Samsung Galaxy phone, according to court documents.

A pre-sentencing report was ordered.

Drink driving charge accepted

James Brophy pleaded guilty to driving with excess breath alcohol.

He was remanded on bail to October 15 for sentencing.

Trial date scheduled

Te Teko man Kent Robinson-Bach has maintained his not guilty pleas to two charges and will be proceeding to a judge-alone trial.

A two-hour trial date was set on February 27 for charges of contravening a protection order and assault on a person in a family relationship.

Driver granted time

Whakatāne man Isaac D’Aubney has been granted an adjournment to the end of November to allow him time to reinstate his licence prior to sentencing.

D'Aubney has pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified and is seeking to avoid further disqualification.

No penalty for theft

Whakatāne man Rauru Pryor has been convicted and discharged without penalty on a charge of theft.

The charge was laid after Pryor, 28, tried to take a bike which was unlocked outside Pak’nSave. The bike has been returned to its owner.

Judge Ingram said he was not satisfied that anything further was required in sentencing.

Driver seeking no conviction after crash

A man who was intoxicated when he crashed his car, injuring a person, is seeking to avoid being convicted.

The man appeared charged with careless or inconsiderate vehicle operation causing injury, driving with excess breath alcohol and prohibited display of gang insignia.

He pleaded guilty to the charges.

Lawyer Rob Savage said the defendant had no history at all.

The case was remanded to October 22 for sentencing, with a referral to restorative justice.

Guilty pleas

Pakowhai Pene has confirmed guilty pleas to two charges of assaulting police and one of disorderly behaviour.

All the offending occurred on July 31 in Papatoetoe, and the charges were transferred to Whakatāne District Court on intimated guilty pleas.

Judge Ingram said he wanted a pre-sentencing report to be before the court to find out what was going on in the background for the young defendant.

“This has red flags all over.”

Pene was remanded to October 23 for sentencing.

Remanded for report

Tewhenua Teepa’s sentencing was adjourned to October 17 because of an updated pre-sentencing report not being completed.

Teepa was due to be sentenced on charges of assault with intent to injure, assaulting a child and contravening a protection order.

Lawyer Paul Devoy said he had expected an updated report to be before the court.

A new pre-sentencing report was ordered.

Sentencing adjourned

Ohane Poihipi’s sentencing was adjourned for two weeks to allow time for his lawyer to look through a pre-sentencing report.

Poihipi was remanded in custody until September 11 for sentencing on charges of common assault, unlawful possession of a firearm, threatening to kill or do grievous bodily harm and injuring with intent to injure.

A young man before the court for driving into police, decamping and making a false statement about the offending, is seeking to avoid conviction.

The defendant pleaded guilty to failing to stop for police, making a false statement and reckless driving.

Police withdrew a charge of assault with a weapon.

Lawyer Rob Savage said the defendant was previously deputy head boy at his high school and he intended to make an application for discharge without conviction.

The defendant was remanded on bail to October 23 for sentencing.

Trial date scheduled

A two-hour trial has been scheduled for Vance Sinton, who denies assault on a person in a family relationship.

His trial was scheduled for February 27.