Family cops abuse
‘‘In lieu of an infringement notice one of the adult passengers was taken to the local Warehouse where they purchased two seats’’.
Senior Sergeant Gill Meadows
An ‘‘unruly’’ family travelling New Zealand were met with a barrage of abuse as they supported a family member charged with theft.
English traveller Tina Maria Cash, 26, pleaded guilty to two charges of theft in the Hamilton District Court yesterday after spending Tuesday night in the police cells.
The charges related to the theft of Red Bull cans, sunglasses and rope from an Auckland service station.
Passing people and cars slowed down past the district court to yell out.
‘‘F ...... gypsies,’’ one passenger shrieked.
Others stopped to film and take pictures of the tourists on their phones yelling out ‘‘how’s your holiday?’’ and ‘‘you going to pick your rubbish up?’’ while others asked ‘‘when are you going home?’’
Jordan Ohaki-Williams was one of many keen to get a glimpse of the infamous clan on his work break.
While it was wrong of the girl to steal, he reckons Kiwis are most angered about the family ‘‘dirtying our country’’.
The family had earlier caused outrage after leaving beer boxes, bottles and baby wipes at Takapuna Beach on Sunday afternoon.
If there’s one way to rile the entire country, it’s by disrespecting the land, Ohaki-Williams said.
He hopes they leave promptly. New Zealanders seemed angry enough to act violently, he said.
Another man waited to see the family for hours while the court process took place. He was keen to berate them for their actions, he said.
The travellers also hit back at the attention they were receiving, with one member of the family hitting a Stuff journalist with her shoe after she was approached for comment.
A young boy also pulled the finger and yelled at media and onlookers on his way into court.
Cash tried to ignore the attention though, refusing to comment and hopping into a greenish-coloured Honda Odyssey, while covering her face with a sheet of paper.
Earlier she pleaded guilty to two charges of theft relating to the thefts from the Caltex Service Station at Albany, Auckland.
She was ordered to pay reparation to the value of $55.20 by 4pm yesterday.
On December 31, Cash drove to the Caltex Albany where she and another woman went into the store, according to the summary of facts.
Cash took a large can of Red Bull energy drink and her associate concealed a Primo drink under her dressing gown.
The associate went to pay for a pack of cigarettes while Cash moved to the door by the sunglasses rack waiting for the store attendant to be distracted.
She then walked out of the store, making no attempt to pay.
The other woman followed but did not pay for the $4 Primo drink. Cash returned to the same Caltex store on January 3 with her children.
She walked around the store and concealed a four pack of Red Bull cans, wire rope and a pair of Zephyr sunglasses before leaving the store without paying.
She told police she did not
remember taking the items but accepted that it was her caught on the store’s CCTV system.
Cash’s counsel Rob Quinn said Cash had no known criminal history and was willing to pay for the cost of the items.
Community Magistrate Ngaire Mascelle took into account Cash’s early guilty plea and her night spent in police cells.
‘‘That is a significant penalty itself for a first time offender,’’ Mascelle said.
It’s not the only brush with the law the family have had while they’ve been in New Zealand.
On Tuesday the family caught the attention of police in Hamilton at 3pm when they started causing problems at Burger King on Te Rapa Straight.
They were later stopped by police in the northern suburb of Harrowfield around 3.45pm, when officers found that two young children in their car were not in appropriate car seats.
‘‘So in lieu of an infringement notice one of the adult passengers was taken to the local Warehouse where they purchased two seats.
‘‘It’s all about the safety of the children. And they were warned about the unrestrained children,’’ Senior Sergeant Gill Meadows said on Tuesday.
The family didn’t get a fine on top of purchasing the seats.
Earlier on Tuesday Immigration New Zealand began the process to deport the group.
INZ said Deportation Liability Notices (DLN) were served on individuals involved in the incident at the Burger King restaurant. ‘‘Section 157 (5) of the Immigration Act 2009 provides for temporary visa holders to be issued with a DLN on a number of grounds, including matters relating to character,’’ Peter Devoy, Assistant General Manager INZ said in a statement.
‘‘Immigration officers advised the individuals of their appeal rights and provided the relevant documentation for them to appeal if they choose to do so.’’
Those issued with the DLN notice had 28 days to appeal the notice.
They were also allowed to leave of their own choice before the notice period. Speaking to reporters outside the Burger King, one family member said they would be ‘‘going home on Wednesday.’’
That is a significant penalty itself for a first time offender.
Community Magistrate Ngaire Mascelle