Jailed mobster’s carjacking charge abandoned
A carjacking charge against a Mongrel Mob member had to be dropped this week when two Crown witnesses failed to turn up for his trial.
Instead, the Crown went ahead with a case that the mobster, Fabian Jesse Mika, had unlawfully taken another car which was crashed in Bromley after a police chase was abandoned, killing his 15-year-old passenger.
Christchurch District Court Judge Paul Kellar gave his reserved decision today, finding the unlawful charge proved and remanding Mika for sentence on April 22.
Mika remains in custody, after being jailed for six years for committing the manslaughter of Ethan Takitimu-McKenzie by dangerous driving.
The sentencing session will decide whether additional jail time should be added to his sentence, or included in the existing sentence.
Mika has the word “Mobsta” tattooed in large letters across his face. He has received further facial tattoos since his jailing for manslaughter.
Mika had been charged with robbing a man of a car, trailer, and motorcycle while armed with an offensive weapon. He pleaded not guilty and when the two witnesses did not attend at court the Crown offered no evidence and Mika was discharged.
Mika’s partner and 18-month-old child were in court and he could see them on screen as he made his court appearance by video-link. He told the court he hoped to be out of jail for his child’s sixth birthday, and when the video session was ending he called out, “Bye, bye, my baby.”
The Crown case was that the car involved in the fatal crash had been stolen about two weeks earlier. It had different number plates when police saw it leaving Mika’s driveway on February 21, 2013, before he was interviewed.
Crown prosecutor Deirdre Elsmore said Mika was told by a police sergeant at that stage that the vehicle was stolen and he had no right to continue using it from when he was released from custody at the Court House later that day, until the fatal crash about 12.30am on February 22.
Defence counsel James Rapley had argued that Mika told the police that he had been given the car by a friend and believed he was allowed to use it. He said Mika had told the police sergeant that he would find out about the car and “get back to him”.
Judge Kellar ruled that after speaking to the sergeant, and being told that the car was stolen, he must have known that he was no longer entitled to use the car.
Category: News
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