Trayd Tahau, 20, in the Hamilton District Court today for sentencing on charges relating to multiple incidents, including one in which he sliced off a dairy worker's thumb during an aggravated robbery. Photo: NZ Herald/Mike Scott
A man whose crime rampage spanned the North Island - and included him slicing off a shop worker's thumb - has been jailed for eight years and four months.
Trayd Tahau, 20, was also handed a minimum non-parole period of half his sentence by Judge Glen Marshall in Hamilton District Court today for his role in multiple aggravated robberies.
One of those took place at the Irvine Street dairy in Hamilton. Tahu stormed into the store with three others early on 17 December 2022.
As his co-offenders ransacked the dairy, eventually making off with $15,000 worth of cigarettes, Tahau ran up to the victim - a man called Nabin - who pleaded for his life. Tahau brought a machete down on Nabin's hand, severing his left thumb.
Outside the shop, a member of the public heard Nabin's screams and ran to help.
He confronted the group but was punched in the jaw by an offender and fell to the ground. Tahau swung his machete "with force" at the man, narrowly missing him, as he ran for the getaway car.
Tahau, who was on electronically monitored bail at the time for an earlier aggravated robbery, then went on the run for six weeks before eventually being arrested in Palmerston North after stealing vehicles at gunpoint.
He was also involved in the aggravated robberies of a Ford Falcon on 25 August, a Spark store in Te Awamutu on 31 August, and a Black Bull liquor store in Cambridge on 11 December.
In his first public statement since the incident, Nabin revealed that although his thumb was successfully re-attached, it still had little function and he relied on others to feed or drive him.
The 29-year-old, in his victim impact statement, said doctors had told him it could take one to two years to regain the sensation and use of his hand - or it may not come back at all.
He said losing the ability to use his hand "depresses" him as he was used to being independent.
He and his wife still struggled with the loss of their baby after she suffered a miscarriage just days after the incident, due to stress.
"I am getting emotionally weak every day. If this incident hadn't happened our lives would have been totally different."
He now took painkillers daily due to being in "severe pain" all the time.
Dressed in gang colours from birth
Tahau's counsel Kerry Hadaway pushed for discounts totalling 60 percent, including for youth, a section 27 cultural report, guilty plea and remorse.
He was only 18 when the offending began, also had ADHD, which combined with the "impulsivity of youth" might have affected his behaviour, she said.
As for the Irvine Street robbery, he was high on methamphetamine at the time.
He was also born into a gang environment and was even named after a gang member and dressed in gang colours from birth, she said.
When his father came back into his life, he unfortunately taught him how to use weapons to solve problems and took him off his ADHD medication.
Tahau, who was supported in court by whānau, was remorseful for what happened and pushed against Crown solicitor Amy Alcock's submission of a minimum non-parole period.
In jailing Tahau, Judge Glen Marshall labelled the violence in the Irvine Street incident as "highly gratuitous", pre-meditated and with multiple attackers the victim was "vulnerable, trapped, unarmed, and posed no threat to you".
He took a starting point of 15 years before issuing a 25 percent discount for his guilty plea.
Tahau was imprisoned to serve at least half of an eight-year-and-four-month sentence and disqualified from driving for a year on driving charges.
The arrest
Tahau was finally spotted in Palmerston North driving a stolen car with three occupants on 26 January 2023. He sped off and police abandoned their pursuit due to his dangerous driving.
Tahau was seen again soon after but took off again, this time driving on the wrong side of the road.
Police laid spikes, resulting in Tahau side-swiping another car before crashing head-on into a Toyota Hilux.
Tahau's three occupants forced the Hilux driver out of his vehicle and drove off, leaving Tahau alone - but armed with a double-barrel shotgun.
Tahau spotted a BMW and pointed the firearm at the driver as he walked towards him, but the man managed to drive off.
He then opened the door of a Mazda while still holding the gun, but again the driver managed to put his foot down and drive off.
He then approached a woman in a silver Audi and yelled at her to "get the f*** out of the car".
She spotted the shotgun and as Tahau tried to pull her from the car, he twice hit her in the head with the butt of the gun as he tried to undo her seatbelt. She eventually got out and Tahau drove off.
He was again spotted by police but took off.
The pursuit lasted about 15 minutes, only coming to a stop when Tahau lost control rounding a corner and crashed into a parked car with such force the car collided with the vehicle parked in front of it.
The owner of one of the cars chased him, but Tahau pulled out a knife and threatened to stab him.
He was arrested a short time later.
- This story was originally published by the NZ Herald.