Teenager lured victim to address
Sandeep Dhiman wasn’t the first man lured by a teenage girl before he was threatened, attacked and killed.
Rosie Page Lewis, 18, along with Anthony Aukuhata Ngapera, 35, appeared before Judge Bridget Mackintosh in Napier District Court yesterday morning.
Lewis, already in prison for Dhiman’s brutal murder in 2017, pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery involving a different Indian man, with the events happening before Dhiman’s death.
Ngapera appeared on charges of aggravated burglary, injuring with intent to injure, aggravated robbery, threatening to kill, receiving, and wilful damage. His victims included the 21-year-old man lured by Lewis, and Alex Latimer who was murdered last year (unrelated to Ngapera).
In mid-April 2017, Lewis sent a Facebook friend request to the man who Stuff has chosen not to name. He sent Lewis a message asking if she wanted to ‘‘hang out that evening’’, the summary of facts says.
Lewis agreed, telling him only she and her mother would be home and sent him a false address. He arrived about 9pm and sent her a text, saying he was outside.
Lewis came out to meet him before leading him in, telling him her brothers were there and not to worry.
Two men entered the room with their faces covered and hoods over their heads. Ngapera was one of them.
He punched the victim several times while demanding he ‘‘hand over everything he had’’, which was only $25.
Ngapera searched his pockets, removed his keys, driver’s licence and iPhone. He gave the keys to his associate and Lewis, who went and searched the car.
Ngapera continued to demand money and asked the man for his internet banking password, which he gave. Lewis attempted to access his bank account but couldn’t as the victim’s phone had no data.
Ngapera threatened to kill the man ‘‘several times’’ and told him if he went to the police ‘‘he would find him and kill him’’. He pointed out he had his driver’s licence so it would be easy to find him.
The victim’s keys were returned and he left. Lewis texted him the next day saying she didn’t know the robbery was going to happen and if he gave her money, she would return his phone. He received nothing, except bruising to his face and a cut lip.
Lewis was sentenced to two years’ jail. Ngapera, a Black Power member, also offended on the night of June 12, 2017 after turning up at Alex Latimer’s home.
He was unknown to both Latimer and another male victim also at the house.
Ngapera and two women arrived at his address, armed with guns, a metal pole and a knife.
Ngapera hid his gun near the recycling bins at the back of the address and knocked on the door, while the two others hid in darkness.
Latimer and another man opened the door to an initially friendly Ngapera who acted like he knew them. He came inside and asked if he could wait for an associate. He then asked for a drink of water for ‘‘his girl’’ and took it outside.
He re-entered shortly after, his face partly covered, pointing a sawn-off shotgun at Latimer. A woman also entered the house, her face also covered, carrying a gun. The third person waited in the driveway with the knife and metal bar.
Ngapera and the woman pointed guns at Latimer and his associate, with Ngapera ordering them into the lounge. He hit Latimer on the side of the head with the barrel of his gun but Latimer’s associate intervened, grabbing the barrel.
Ngapera tried to push him towards the kitchen doors. The victim ended up on the ground before Ngapera smashed the barrel down on his head. He then marched him at gunpoint to the bedroom.
The man quickly closed and locked the door. Meanwhile, Latimer, who had been ordered outside by one of the women, began to yell for help, and the trio fled.
Latimer was brutally killed in Te Haroto last year by David Lothian and James Webby, who are to be sentenced on November 11 for his murder.
On June 7, Ngapera burgled another Napier property, stealing a Harley Davidson motorbike, a bag of boxing gear and a trailer.
Defence counsel Richard Stone said Ngapera was remorseful for his actions.
Judge Mackintosh said since being remanded in custody Ngapera had had a ‘‘wake-up call’’.
‘‘You’re from Hawke’s Bay – you’ve been brought up in Black Power environment – you’ve known no other way. You’re drug-free and that’s given you the ability to look differently at the world.
‘‘You’ve been in and out of jail numerous times over the years, mainly in relation to burglary offending. You have a very minimal history of violent offending until this occurred in 2017 – whether that was related to heavy use of drugs, I’m unsure.’’
Ngapera was sentenced to nine years in prison with no minimum parole period.