Loaded shotgun found at gang pad
Not guilty plea
More than two months before the New Plymouth Mongrel Mob pad was allegedly fired upon, a gang member living there was found in illegal possession of a loaded shotgun during a police search.
Hori Haami Maremare, a patched member of the West Coast Mongrel Mob, which is based in Taranaki but run from Waikato, appeared in the New Plymouth District Court yesterday and pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm and ammunition.
The loaded, 12-gauge shotgun and other rounds of ammunition were found after police executed a search warrant at the gang’s Lawry St pad, where Maremare also lived.
The property was subsequently targeted in a driveby shooting on October 24, where it is alleged Tyson Disraeli Hutchinson fired shots at the house.
Hutchinson, 18, has pleaded not guilty to the allegations and is due back in court in January.
In relation to Maremare’s offending, the police summary of facts stated that on August 7 officers executed a search warrant at the Lawry St address.
It outlined how the top level of the property was the main dwelling area while the basement was used as the Mongrel Mob’s pad, displaying gang insignia on the walls.
During the police search a 12 gauge ‘A-Tac’ shotgun, loaded with four rounds, was found under a bar area in the basement.
Other ammunition was found during the property search, including in a bag stashed behind a false wall. A further 14 rounds of shotgun ammunition was located in a bag found on the basement floor. When spoken to by police, Maremare admitted to being in possession of the gun and ammunition.
Judge Maree Mackenzie convicted the 27-year-old of the two charges and requested a presentence report be prepared ahead of his sentencing date of February 14.
In the past 12 months, there has been an increased presence of Mongrel Mob members in New Plymouth, which has resulted in rising gang tensions.
The risk of a possible turf war was the reasoning behind a recent decision by police national headquarters to withhold information related to gang membership numbers in Taranaki.
In a response to an Official Information Act request made by the Taranaki Daily News , it decided against releasing the information to ‘‘prevent the possibility of disclosure leading to the provocation of inter-gang rivalry and an increase in serious offending’’.
A teen who allegedly fired shots at a New Plymouth gang pad has pleaded not guilty to the crime.
Yesterday, Tyson Disraeli Hutchinson appeared in the New Plymouth District Court via audio-visual link from Whanganui Prison.
The 18-year-old faces a raft of serious charges, some of which are connected to the allegations that he fired shots at the Moturoa-based Mongrel Mob pad on October 24 before he crashed a stolen car after a police chase. The teen also faces a separate set of unrelated charges, including rape.
Lawyer Nathan Bourke confirmed not guilty pleas to all charges and elected trial by jury where appropriate. No bail application was made on Hutchinson’s behalf and he was remanded into custody to reappear in court for case review on January 28.