A former supermarket security guard forced a cucumber into a shopper’s mouth after accusing him of stealing, before extorting $200 from him, a court has heard.
According to a report by the New Zealand Herald, Laki Savelio, 24, was sentenced in Manukau District Court this week for his role in a series of incidents involving alleged shoplifters at a South Auckland Pak’nSave in January 2025.
Savelio and co-offender Tiare Bishop were employed by Retail Theft Control Security (RTC), which had been contracted to provide security at the supermarket. Bishop has pleaded guilty to her involvement and is due to be sentenced in October.
Shopper subjected to hour-long ordeal
According to the agreed summary of facts, one victim went through the supermarket’s self-checkout without paying for several items, including a plastic-wrapped telegraph cucumber, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
Savelio and Bishop stopped the man as he headed towards his car and took him to a small, windowless security office, where they repeatedly accused him of shoplifting.
The ordeal lasted about an hour and was captured on CCTV.
According to the New Zealand Herald, at one point, Savelio picked up a toy rifle and pointed it at the man. The victim raised his hands before pushing the barrel away.
Savelio then gestured towards the man's wallet, prompting him to take out four $50 notes and place them on a shelf.
After about 45 minutes, Bishop left the room. Savelio then repeatedly leaned towards the victim with the cucumber.
He made the man hold it, pointed towards the CCTV camera and switched off the lights.
The summary said Savelio then forced the cucumber either “against or into” the man's mouth, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
The victim recoiled, but Savelio withdrew the cucumber, turned it around and pointed the other end towards him before nodding.
The man brought it towards his mouth, with his hair falling over his face. Savelio moved the man's hair aside so the act could be seen on camera and again forced the cucumber into his mouth, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
At one point, the victim made a praying gesture with his hands.
Savelio eventually turned the lights back on. The pair then left the supermarket, before Savelio and Bishop returned to the security office and divided the $200.
Later, Savelio texted a friend: “Just made $200 here at Manukau”.
The friend replied: “I thought we were not allowed to do that anymore”, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Savelio responded: “Only in Manukau with me uso.”
More shoppers targeted
Later that month, Savelio and Bishop stopped another man who admitted forgetting to pay for a tin of baby formula.
The pair extorted $400 from him and trespassed him from the supermarket, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
A few days later, they accused another shopper of stealing. When he produced a receipt, they allegedly took it and refused to return it.
The man threatened to contact a union organiser, after which Savelio told him he could leave with a warning.
The victim wanted evidence of their conduct and offered the pair $100, which they accepted.
That same day, the pair obtained another $300 from a man who, according to the summary, did not want to jeopardise his recently secured residency visa, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
When questioned by police, Savelio said he was doing his job as his boss had instructed him.
'Civil recovery' disputed
The agreed facts said RTC's owner claimed some clients wanted security staff to deal with alleged shoplifters through “civil recovery” rather than contacting police, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
Under the process described in court, an alleged shoplifter could pay $396 to the store, with police not becoming involved.
However, the summary said “civil recovery” required the supermarket's duty manager, the accused shoplifter and security staff to sign documents confirming the process was appropriate. Security staff also needed training to carry it out, which Savelio did not have, as reported by the New Zealand Herald.
A Foodstuffs representative told NZME there was no civil recovery policy operating at Pak’nSave Manukau at the time.
Crown lawyer Emma Barnes said the first victim had been treated in a “degrading fashion” and that the incident was “particularly distressing” for him, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
She said he had been afraid of what could happen if he did not comply, while Savelio had significantly abused his position of power and trust.
Barnes also pointed to premeditation and a high level of intimidation and harm. She said two victims had been compensated by Pak’nSave.
Guard receives home detention
Savelio's lawyer Nicole Bristow said her client accepted his conduct was “serious” and involved multiple victims as well as a misuse of his security position.
She sought a discount based on his previous good character, clean record and remorse. She pointed to a letter from Savelio and a Corrections report in which he told a probation officer he “should’ve known better”, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
Bristow said Savelio had strong family and community support, including church and sporting commitments, and argued home detention would support his rehabilitation.
“He understands that a sentence such as that would be required to reflect his poor decision-making, lack of consequential thinking and financial management issues,” Bristow told the court, as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Judge Gus Andrée Wiltens said it was “very difficult to understand” how Savelio, as a security worker, had failed to anticipate that his actions would be captured on CCTV.
“These people had their rights trampled on by you,” he said. “You took them out of the community, into your little sphere, and kept them there,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
The judge described the offending as “very serious”, saying it came close to a kidnapping situation and had continuing consequences for the victims.
“They shouldn’t have been treated in this fashion,” as quoted by the New Zealand Herald.
Judge Wiltens took into account Savelio's two young children, his remorse, his relatively early guilty plea and his age.
For one representative charge of obtaining by deception involving more than $1000, Savelio was sentenced to six months’ home detention, with 12 months of post-detention conditions.
He was also ordered to pay $750 to victims who had not already been compensated by Pak’nSave.
The judge said “unfortunately” Savelio's career as a security officer was likely over.
“Take advantage ... make sure you don’t come back,” the New Zealand Herald has quoted.
ISSUE
Leave a Comment