Teenager beaten up by trio following burglary

A teen burglar was on the receiving end of violent retribution only 12 hours after his crime.

On October 19, a drunk Datanyon Jahmali Toetoe-Taiapo walked through an insecure door of a Broadway, Waitara, address about 11.05pm.

Police said once inside, the 17-year-old started to look for items to steal. He gathered up a laptop, hover board, Xbox, a headset and two security cameras from inside the house and also stole a small motorbike from a garage outside. The stolen items were worth $4500.

Toetoe-Taiapo stashed the stolen booty behind a bush nearby and then walked home.

The entire burglary had been captured on CCTV cameras at the address.

While all the items taken in the burglary were subsequently recovered and returned, the day after the crime, about 12.30pm, the teen was confronted by the homeowner, who had two associates in tow.

Yesterday, the teen’s lawyer Russell Wilson told the New Plymouth District Court his client had suffered a bad beating at their hands, which included a knife being held at his throat.

Wilson said Toetoe-Taiapo had feared for his life during what he described as a vigilante attack.

‘‘There was certainly a great deal of summary justice handed out,’’ Wilson said.

The three men have been charged with assaulting ToetoeTaiapo and are currently before the court.

After Toetoe-Taiapo pleaded guilty to the burglary, Judge Philip Recordon remanded him on bail to reappear in court on March 14, where a discharge for conviction would be considered.

In the meantime, ToetoeTaiapo planned to relocate to Whanganui, where he had a shearing job lined up.