Bar armed robber faces long prison term
A 24-year-old has been warned he faces a significant jail term after admitting his part in the armed robbery of two Christchurch bars.
Jackson Whakatihi, also known as Manson, admits he was one of two men with their faces covered and carrying firearms who robbed the Coaster Tavern in Redwood, and attempted to rob The Brewery Bar at The Tannery in Woolston later the same night.
Whakatihi had already admitted the Coasters armed robbery, but continued to deny a charge of assaulting at man at The Brewery with intent to rob him. He pleaded guilty when the charge was reduced to attempted armed robbery yesterday.
After his guilty plea in the Christchurch District Court, Judge David Saunders remanded him in custody for sentencing for both incidents on December 8. He asked for a psychological report and a pre-sentence report.
He told Whakatihi that he was facing a significant term of imprisonment but there would be programmes available for him, and the psychological report would examine “what precipated this serious offending”.
A year ago, Whakatihi was found not guilty by a jury at the end of a five-day trial, of the armed robbery of the Sideline Bar in Stanmore Road. The jury convicted Dallas Edwards, 25, and he was eventually jailed for six years nine months. In a letter to the judge at the sentencing, Edwards admitted he had done the robbery.
After the latest two robberies, Whakatihi’s partner, Nikita Chela McCausland, has admitted charges of suppressing evidence so that Whakatihi could avoid arrest, and illegal possession of a sawn-off shotgun. She is in custody awaiting sentencing on November 5.
Whakatihi has been in custody since soon after the robberies which took place on January 26. Another man charged in relation to the robberies is still to stand trial.
About 9.30pm that Sunday night, Manson and another man went into Coasters Tavern as it was closing. They confronted the waitress and bar manager, made staff lie down on the floor, and Manson took the contents of three tills and the poker machine refills – a total of about $15,000.
The Crown says the same two men entered The Brewery Bar as it was closing about 10.50pm the same night.
Manson took the bar manager upstairs to the office and demanded that she open the safe. She said that only the general manager could access it.
While that was happening, a patrol stood up and said, “What’s happening,” and the Crown says the other offender struck him on the head with the butt of his firearm. He was later taken to hospital for treatment for a cut to his head and suffers continuing migraines and emotional trauma.
The robbers tried to open two cash registers without success and left without any money.
The next day, police searched Manson’s car. He was in the front passenger seat.
They found $984 cash in his pants pocket, and another $3500 cash in a bag containing baby clothes in the car. A bank bag under the seat contained financial documents belonging to Coasters Bar.
A search at the Kilmore Street property of Manson and McCausland located a sawn-off pump-action shotgun, which was wrapped in a shirt, inside a black pool cue case, in the garage.
Category: Focus
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