Man jailed after string of armed robberies in city
A man who carried out robberies at multiple Christchurch retailers while armed with a firearm, hammer and tomahawk will serve a non-parole period in jail after a judge said this was necessary to mark the seriousness of his offending.
Kenneth Amuketi-Campbell, 29, was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of four years in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.
His co-defendant, Michael Meo, 43, was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. A third defendant, Tyson Lukic, 28, had his sentencing postponed to allow the court to consider non-custodial options.
In his sentencing remarks, Judge Raoul Neave said it was clear that Amuketi-Campbell was “the common factor” during the spree of aggravated robberies, with the other two men playing a lesser role.
“I am of the view that the standard eligibility date for parole would not be sufficient ... to denounce the offender’s conduct.”
Amuketi-Campbell was masked and armed with a claw hammer when he and another person, who was armed with a baseball bat, robbed a liquor store on Lincoln Rd about 9pm on September 29, 2021. The pair stole $500.
He was again present on October 14, 2021 when he and Lukic entered the Thirsty Liquor on Papanui Rd. Amuketi-Campbell was armed with a sawn-off shotgun. They stole the till and a bottle of alcohol before fleeing on foot.
Two days later, Amuketi-Campbell was armed with a tomahawk and hammer when he and Meo robbed the Hoon Hay Special Dairy. The pair stole cigarettes and the shop attendant’s phone.
Later that same day, Amuketi-Campbell and Meo burgled another dairy on Jeffreys Rd, but failed to steal anything.
A couple of hours later, the pair entered the Opawa Liquor Centre. Amuketi-Campbell was carrying a short-barrelled rifle, while Meo carried a black rod.
Amuketi-Campbell pointed the gun at the shop attendant and demanded that he open the till and cigarette drawer. He punched the victim, yelled racial slurs at him, and pushed him into a warehouse at the back of the store. He threatened to shoot him if he tried to escape.
All three men were convicted of a number of other charges on top of the aggravated robberies.
Amuketi-Campbell was sentenced on four charges of aggravated robbery, two charges of burglary and driving while disqualified.
Meo was sentenced on two charges of aggravated robbery, burglary, possession of forged banknotes and possession of instruments to facilitate forgery.
Lukic faces sentencing on aggravated robbery, theft, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, unlawful use of a bank card, unlawful possession of a firearm, and failing to assist police with a search. His case will be back in court in March.
An 80-year-old man has been sentenced to four years in jail for killing his 78-yearold wife in a retirement village in Mount Maunganui.
Passing sentence in the High Court at Hamilton, Justice Francis Cooke accepted that John Alfred Salter did what he thought the pair had agreed upon, with the goal of eternal togetherness.
Police called to Metlifecare’s Bayswater retirement village on October 8 found the body of Jean Salter.
Salter plead guilty to murdering Jean, 78, in their apartment, strangling her with a neck tie he’d hidden behind a cushion.
Afterwards he went into his bathroom and tried to kill himself. When that failed, he called his sister in the UK and then police.
The documents say the suggestion that Jean go into full-time care “caused John to become stressed and concerned about being separated from his wife”.
He told police he killed Jean because he couldn’t live without her and planned to kill himself to be with her.
Salter’s lawyer, Tony Rickard-Simms, said the couple had been together for 60 years, and spent every day together. They met when they were 15 and 17 and married the next year as soon as she was legally able.
The couple came to New Zealand from the United Kingdom in 1975.
While in the retirement village, Jean slowly started to lose her faculties, RickardSimms said.
Salter became distressed when a retirement village staff member suggested Jean should be moved to a different facility.
Justice Cooke said Salter had acknowledged his dependence on his wife, who was vulnerable and unable to physically defend herself.
The charge of murder carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment, however Justice Cooke concluded it would be manifestly unjust to sentence Salter to life imprisonment, instead imposing a finite sentence.
He decided on a starting point of eight years and gave a 25% discount for a guilty plea, and a further 25% discount for other factors including Salter’s age, remorse, his lack of support and vulnerability in prison.
Crown prosecutor Anna Pollett argued this was not a mercy killing, and had selfish elements.
She said Jean only had mild Alzheimer’s for one year before her death, was not abusive or aggressive and Salter was not required to provide full and constant care.