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Offender Databases Wairoa Gemmell

Wairoa Tatanapene Gemmell

Alias

.

Offences

Attacked a 95 year old Flaxmere woman for $8 and a bottle of milk in July 2006

Victims

.

Offender Affiliations

John Wilson

Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1988

Current Location

unknown

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to just 21 months in March 2007
Home detention hearing scheduled May 2007

Background
NZ Herald story here
Dominion Post story 27/03/2007
Two teenage cousins who attacked and robbed a 95-year-old of $8 and a bottle of milk were called "cowards" by a judge as the older of the pair was sentenced to 21 months' jail. Wairoa Tatanapene Gemmell, 19, appeared for sentencing in Napier District Court yesterday in relation to the mugging of pensioner Elsie Jones in the Hastings suburb of Flaxmere on July 9 last year. Gemmell and his 16-year-old cousin John Zachery Wilson stalked and attacked her as she returned from buying milk at the shopping centre across the street from her unit at the Swansea Retirement Village. Mrs Jones, who needs a walking stick to move about, was followed for 200 metres before being rushed from behind and knocked to the ground by the cousins.

Gemmell snatched Mrs Jones' bag containing a bottle of milk and her purse with $8. A witness to the attack said Mrs Jones went "airborne" when hit. Wilson was sentenced to 15 months' jail on the joint charge of aggravated robbery when he appeared in Napier District Court court in October. At that sentencing, it was revealed Mrs Jones had lost her independence as a result of the attack and had moved out of the Flaxmere retirement village because she no longer felt able to live alone. Defence lawyer Trent Petherick said yesterday that though Gemmell had other convictions, there were none for violence and his age at the time of the attack, 18, should be taken into account.

"He just refers to it as a dumb idea, out of the blue," Mr Petherick said. "Gemmell accepts it was his idea and that they planned it together. He was open about that." Judge Tony Adeane said Gemmell's guilty plea to the charge of aggravated robbery had been made "belatedly", after the case had already gone through a depositions hearing requiring witnesses to be called. The judge also made note of Gemmell's application for the case to be heard away from Hawke's Bay because of a "perceived prejudice" before finally admitting the charge. Judge Adeane referred to Gemmell and Wilson as "two cowards who ran away, split the money, $4 (each), drank the milk, and threw the purse on the shop roof". "It remains that for offending of this type, the overwhelming majority of the community could feel nothing more than anger and contempt ... " Gemmell was given leave to apply for home detention.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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