On an ordinary afternoon in Ponsonby, a man who had spent years moving in and out of the gang world took a parked car from a stranger's child and drove off into the city, and in a courtroom some months later the consequences were finally weighed. The judge did not accept his story that he carried a replica gun and a knife for the good of the community, and she set a sentence that reflected both the act and the record behind it. What remains unresolved is less dramatic than the theft but more consequential: a man with a high risk of reoffending is heading toward release with nowhere, as yet, to
Gang Member Tama Erueti Jailed for Ponsonby Range Rover Theft Involving a Child
A child was ordered out of the vehicle during the theft, and the offender's release without accommodation was raised as a reoffending risk.
The items were on you when you took the car and still on you at arrest.
On an ordinary afternoon in Ponsonby, a man who had spent years moving in and out of the gang world took a parked car from a stranger's child and drove off into the city, and in a courtroom some months later the consequences were finally weighed. The judge did not accept his story that he carried a replica gun and a knife for the good of the community, and she set a sentence that reflected both the act and the record behind it. What remains unresolved is less dramatic than the theft but more consequential: a man with a high risk of reoffending is heading toward release with nowhere, as yet, to call home.
Tama Erueti opened the driver's door of an idling Range Rover parked outside a Ponsonby grocery store, ordered the child inside to get out, and drove away. Police caught up with him about two hours later, after he abandoned the car in Arch Hill and was tracked through fence-jumping reports and CCTV footage on Karangahape Rd.
The arrest was not smooth. Erueti tensed his body and ignored police commands, and officers found a replica firearm and a fixed-blade knife in his waistband. He later said he carried the weapons as a good Samaritan, having taken them from another gang member to keep the community safe. Judge Maxwell placed no weight on that account, which she found at odds with the agreed facts, though she accepted that he had not used the weapons in the theft.
His lawyer, Mingze Sun, asked for home detention, pointing to his engagement with programmes. Without that, she warned, he would likely be freed within weeks on time served with no accommodation, and would be set up to reoffend. Police opposed any non-custodial sentence, citing a long history of non-compliance and a recent alleged bail breach. The judge agreed, setting a 19-month starting point before allowing reductions for his guilty pleas and for offering to pay for a replacement key, then increasing it because of his criminal history.
The question left hanging is the one Sun raised: where Erueti will live when he walks out, and whether that gap can be closed in time.
Tama Erueti opened the driver's door of an idling Range Rover parked outside a Ponsonby grocery store, ordered the child sitting inside to get out, and sped away. That is how police describe the theft, which led this week to another prison sentence for the armed gang member.
Police caught up with him about two hours later. He had quickly abandoned the vehicle in Arch Hill, but a police helicopter located it. Officers narrowed their search after reports of a man jumping fences in the area, and a review of CCTV cameras showed him on foot on Karangahape Rd, according to what police said when he was arrested in May.
The arrest itself was not smooth. An agreed summary of facts for the case records that as he was taken into custody, Erueti tensed his whole body and pulled his arms in against himself, making it hard for officers to handcuff him. He also ignored the verbal commands police were giving. In the waistband of his shorts, officers found a replica firearm and a fixed-blade knife.
Erueti later told authorities he had the weapons because he was a good Samaritan, saying he had taken them off another gang member to keep the community safe. Judge Maxwell was unmoved. She said she placed no weight on the explanation, noting that his account appeared at odds with the agreed facts.
She did accept an argument from defence lawyer Mingze Sun that Erueti had not used the weapons to steal the Range Rover. But she was plain about what remained true: the items were on him when he took the car and still on him when he was arrested.
The charges carried different maximums. For unlawfully taking the vehicle, Erueti faced up to seven years in prison. The imitation firearm carried up to one year, and resisting police and having a knife in a public place each carried up to three months.
He was held in custody from his arrest in May until September, then spent a short period on bail. Three weeks ago he allegedly breached his release conditions. Sun asked for home detention, telling the court her client had engaged with programmes aimed at his issues. If he were sent to prison, she said, he would likely be released within a few weeks on time served, but with no accommodation, which would set him up to fail again and reoffend.
Police opposed any non-custodial sentence, pointing to what they described as Erueti's long-established history of non-compliance. The judge agreed, citing in particular his recent non-compliance. She set a 19-month starting point for all the charges combined. She then allowed reductions for his guilty pleas and for his willingness to pay for a replacement key for the vehicle, before uplifting the sentence because of his concerning criminal history. Erueti, she said, has been assessed as a high risk of reoffending.
The question left hanging is the one his lawyer raised: where he will live when he is released, and whether that gap can be closed before he walks out.
Citations marquantes
I don't place any weight on that explanation.— Judge Maxwell, on Erueti's good Samaritan claim
Prison would set him up to fail again and reoffend, because he would have no accommodation on release.— Mingze Sun, defence lawyer (paraphrased)
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