R v Hewitt

In the High Court of New Zealand, Bronson Hewitt was sentenced on six charges stemming from two separate incidents of violence and theft that occurred on 4 August 2015. Hewitt was found guilty of kidnapping, aggravated robbery, male assaults female, unlawfully taking a motor vehicle, assault with intent to rob, and demanding with menaces. The court had to decide the appropriate sentence for Hewitt, taking into account the totality of his offending and his extensive criminal history. The Crown argued for a sentence of nine to nine-and-a-half years' imprisonment, with a minimum period of imprisonment of 50 per cent, while defence counsel argued for a sentence in the range of seven to eight years' imprisonment.

The court decided that a concurrent approach to sentencing was appropriate, with the most serious offence, aggravated robbery, receiving the penalty that was appropriate for the totality of the offending. The court identified a starting point of five years and nine months' imprisonment for the offending against the first victim, and an uplift of two years and three months' imprisonment for the offending against the second victim, resulting in an overall starting point of eight years' imprisonment. The court decided not to impose a minimum period of imprisonment, as it considered the sentence sufficient to hold Hewitt accountable for his actions and deter others from similar criminality. Hewitt was sentenced to eight years and six months' imprisonment for aggravated robbery, and concurrent sentences for the remaining convictions, to be served concurrently. The court also made an order for the destruction of the weapons and drug paraphernalia used in the offending.