A man who has admitted his role in an armed hold-up of BP service station in Rotorua told the staff he and another man robbing the station were not robbing them but instead robbing the Government. Remo Tauwari Waikato (29) has pleaded guilty to the aggravated robbery of the BP Lynmore about 2am on December 10 last year. He pointed the firearm at the staff member behind the counter and demanded he give them cash and 50g tobacco. While the co-offender pointed the rifle at the staff member the entire time, Waikato tried to calm the victims by telling them they were "not robbing them, they were robbing the Government", the summary of facts said. The summary of facts said Waikato was polite during the robbery and was trying to calm the victims.

Source: Otago Daily Times May 19, 2019 21:00 UTC