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Offender Databases Waylon Shelford

Waylon Joshua Rower Shelford

Alias

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Offences

Aggravated robbery of Irish tourists in Dargaville in October 2008 and wilful damage of a prison cell
Extensive list of past convictions for threats to kill, aggravated wounding, abduction, assault and assault with a weapon

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 5 years 3 months in August 2009

Background
From the Northern Advocate 3rd August 2009
A Kaipara man has been jailed for robbing Irish tourists who had been paying for their trip around New Zealand by selling generators and waterblasters. Waylon Joshua Rower Shelford, 26, from Te Kopuru, appeared for sentencing in the Whangarei District Court on Friday after earlier pleading guilty to aggravated robbery and a separate charge of wilful damage of a cell at Ngawha Prison.

Defence lawyer Chris Muston said Shelford targeted the Irish tourists after reading in newspapers that they had been travelling around the country. Police had put out warnings that the tourists were selling dodgy equipment. Mr Muston said he was under the misapprehension that if he robbed the tourists they would not report the theft to police. He said Shelford set fire to a cell at Ngawha Prison while on remand for the robbery because of tension between inmates and prison guards.

Judge John McDonald said that at about 12.15am on October 27 last year, Shelford and an associate went to Dargaville Campervan Park where the tourists were staying and knocked on the cabin of one of the tourists, trying to get him to come out. The man refused to do so and Shelford's associate threatened the man, held up a pipe disguised as a gun, and got the man to give up his keys to the van. The robbers then took the van to an isolated rural road, where it was later found empty of the generators and waterblasters, and burned out.

Judge McDonald said a starting point for sentencing was 4 years' jail but it warranted more because of Shelford's "appalling" criminal history. Shelford had previous convictions for threatening to kill, aggravated wounding, abduction, assault and assault with a weapon. The judge said that pushed the starting point up to seven years' jail and he gave Shelford credit for his early guilty plea. He sentenced Shelford to four years and nine months' jail for the aggravated robbery and six months for the wilful damage. Shelford's co-accused in the robbery, Ihaka Tamihana of Mamaranui, is still before the courts.

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Corrections and Additional Information
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