A man sustained injuries after being dragged 30 metres by a vehicle during a scuffle with a woman attempting to steal his iPhone in a Facebook Marketplace scam.
It emerged that Hamilton woman, Lian Hunia, had no intention of paying the agreed $1000 for the iPhone 13, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Hunia appeared in the Hamilton District Court today, where she confessed to a charge of aggravated robbery and unrelated driving offences.
The 20-year-old discovered the phone on Marketplace and began messaging the victim using her grandmother’s Facebook account on December 5 of last year.
They agreed to meet at St Paul’s Collegiate School, where Hunia indicated she would be in a red Nissan.
The victim arrived at the school at 5:30 pm and approached the passenger side of the vehicle, where Hunia was seated, while her female accomplice was in the driver’s seat.
After asking to see the phone, the victim handed it over to Hunia and her accomplice, who both examined it.
When the victim attempted to retrieve the phone, Hunia’s accomplice put the vehicle in drive and started moving forward. The victim tried to hold onto the phone and was dragged along the road as the vehicle sped away.
As the car moved, Hunia tried to push the victim while pulling the phone from his grip and instructing her accomplice to drive.
The victim was dragged for about 30 metres before falling from the vehicle and hitting the ground.
He suffered severe scrapes and abrasions to the right side of his body from being dragged. Additionally, he fractured his right clavicle (collarbone) and struck the back of his head, causing swelling and bleeding.
In a police interview, Hunia claimed she intended to pay for the phone using cash savings and money from selling an iPad. She alleged that the victim “grabbed her aggressively, and she did not like that,” prompting her to tell her friend to drive. She still had the phone when arrested.
On March 1 of this year, at 6:15 pm, Hunia was in the driver's seat of the same red Nissan on Ann St, Hamilton.
Police were called to a family harm incident, and as they approached her vehicle, she started it and began revving the engine.
After being informed she was under arrest, officers pepper sprayed her through an open window, and she sped off along a grass verge.
About 10 minutes later, officers spotted her on Sandwich Rd, and after a 500-metre pursuit, police abandoned the chase.
Today, Hunia admitted to charges of aggravated robbery, failing to stop, escaping police custody, and driving while disqualified.
Judge Tini Clark convicted her and remanded her on further bail for sentencing in September.
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