Criminal show inspires Northland robbery

Partners in crime who "robbed" a Northland supermarket hatched a plan while they were watching a television show entitled World's Dumbest Criminals.

Jade Kaire-Laybourn appeared in Whangarei District Court yesterday for sentencing before Judge John McDonald, who had a few words of advice for the 20-year-old who helped in the fake robbery of Tikipunga Countdown.

"It was harebrained ... a plan that wasn't thought out and doomed from the start," Judge McDonald said.

"You weren't even bright enough to watch a decent criminal program."

Kaire-Laybourn struck up a relationship with Tuki Hanlon about eight weeks before the fake robbery on October 17 last year. Hanlon was previously sentenced to 11 months' jail on three burglary charges including the Tikipunga incident.

Together they concocted a fake heist.

Hanlon walked up to his girlfriend's checkout at Countdown, where she had worked part-time for two years.

It was 9.35pm. He had two bags of chips and a typed note in text language that said he had a gun, if anyone followed he wouldn't hesitate, and hand over the money.

Kaire-Laybourn scanned Hanlon's chips, he gave her the note, and she handed over $1329.40.

Judge John McDonald said Hanlon had entered the supermarket and had made an attempt to conceal his face and only had one glove on.

"He couldn't even find a bandanna," Mr McDonald said.

Kaire-Laybourn then claimed she had been robbed, and that the robber had a gun.

When police interviewed Jade Kaire-Laybourn after what they thought was a supermarket robbery, she faked tears, shock and horror. Three weeks later police uncovered the lie.

For an early guilty plea and her previously clean record, she was sentenced to four months' home detention for the burglary and to a further month for giving police a false statement.