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Offender Databases Christopher Ngarino

Christopher Ngarino

Alias

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Offences

Armed robbery of a Hikurangi food market in June 2005
Also committing a crime with a firearm and four charges of kidnapping
He has 25 other convictions including burglary, assault, drug and dishonesty offences

Victims

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Offender Affiliations

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Gang affiliations

none known

Age

Born 1983

Current Location

Prison

Parole/Release Dates

Sentenced to 8 years with a 4 year minimum non-parole period in May 2008

Background
Northern Advocate (Whangarei) May 23rd 2008
Christopher Ngarino reckons he wasn't there when the Hikurangi Four Square was robbed by armed men.Yesterday he was jailed for eight years for the crimes he had claimed he did not commit. Ngarino, 25, was sentenced in the Whangarei District Court on charges of armed robbery of the Hikurangi Four Square supermarket, committing a crime with a firearm and four kidnapping charges. He had been found guilty of the charges at a Whangarei District Court trial last month. During the trial, Ngarino gave evidence that he had been at his former mother-in-law's house at Snake Hill Rd when the robbery happened.

A police summary of facts stated three men had tied up supermarket manager Jawahir Lal and his two sons, and robbed the store of $2500 on June 26, 2005. The robbers had fled in a getaway car, later found burned out at Ngunguru Ford Rd. A piece of the car was found near Ngarino's home, but he had claimed he had picked it up as a piece of scrap metal. Police had alleged Ngarino had made a "jailhouse confession" about the robbery to another inmate while on remand at Ngawha Prison. During sentencing yesterday, Judge Duncan Harvey said the community needed to be protected from people such as Ngarino and custodial sentence was warranted.

He said a non-parole period was required, due to Ngarino's criminal history of more than 25 convictions. They included burglary, assault, drug and dishonesty offences totalling more than 25. On the aggravated robbery charge, Ngarino was sentenced to eight years, with a minimum non- parole period of four years. He was given three years' jail on kidnapping charges and five years for the firearm charge, both sentences to run concurrent to the eight-year term. Judge Harvey rejected a request for reparation of $833 and cancelled Ngarino's outstanding court fines of about $4000.

In reaction to the sentence, Four Square owner Mr Lal said eight years jail was "very good" and he was pleased about the length of punishment handed out. "Any shopkeeper would have been scared in that situation. Anyone doing that sort of crime should be punished. "He said his sons were happy about the sentence as well. Mr Lal said even though two of the offenders had not been arrested he did not fear another attack. "I'm good and very busy. "At the trial, Ngarino's then- partner, Chanee Fryer, had given evidence that he was at her mother's home on the day of the robbery. Her mother also told the jury Ngarino had been at her home.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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