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Kidnap stunt `like playing PlayStation'
By ABIGAIL CASPARI in Rotorua
A Rotorua man who kidnapped and robbed a terrified Auckland teenager has told police it was like playing the PlayStation game Grand Theft Auto.
The 18-year-old's ordeal began at a Rotorua money machine on November 20 and ended after a wild ride around the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
His 20-year-old kidnapper, Cory Daniel Blue Gawith, pleaded guilty yesterday in the Rotorua District Court to charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping.
Mr Gawith, a bushman, also pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and theft.
The court heard that Mr Gawith and a young associate approached the teenager at a money machine on Fenton St.
When their demands for cash were unsuccessful, they demanded his car keys and got into his vehicle. They also stole his cellphone and money card.
Mr Gawith drove while his associate, who had the tyre iron, got into the back seat with the teenager.
During a wild ride around the Eastern Bay of Plenty, the car reached speeds of more than 140km/h, at one stage spinning into the wrong lane.
The teenager eventually surrendered his PIN number which Mr Gawith used to buy a packet of cigarettes from a service station.
The pair let the teenager out of the car and gave him back his cellphone, but when he tried to call police he was ordered back inside.
The group then drove to Kawerau, and the pair fled, taking the teenager's CDs and cellphone with them.
The victim, who was in an "extremely terrorised state", drove back to Rotorua and went to the police.
Police prosecutor Aroha Cooper said Mr Gawith admitted what he had done, saying he was desperate for money.
"He said it was like playing a PlayStation game called Grand Theft Auto."
Judge Phillip Cooper remanded Mr Gawith in custody for sentencing on April 28.
In the United States last month, a lawsuit was lodged against the manufacturers of Grand Theft Auto after a teenager shot and killed two police officers and a dispatcher.
The teenager is alleged to have played the game repeatedly and told police when he was caught: "Life is a video game. You've got to die sometime."
The game, which has an R18 rating, lets players sleep with and kill prostitutes, steal cars, fight gang wars and shoot off people's heads.
A Rotorua man who kidnapped and robbed a terrified Auckland teenager has told police it was like playing the PlayStation game Grand Theft Auto.
The 18-year-old's ordeal began at a Rotorua money machine on November 20 and ended after a wild ride around the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
His 20-year-old kidnapper, Cory Daniel Blue Gawith, pleaded guilty yesterday in the Rotorua District Court to charges of aggravated robbery and kidnapping.
Mr Gawith, a bushman, also pleaded guilty to charges of burglary and theft.
The court heard that Mr Gawith and a young associate approached the teenager at a money machine on Fenton St.
When their demands for cash were unsuccessful, they demanded his car keys and got into his vehicle. They also stole his cellphone and money card.
Mr Gawith drove while his associate, who had the tyre iron, got into the back seat with the teenager.
During a wild ride around the Eastern Bay of Plenty, the car reached speeds of more than 140km/h, at one stage spinning into the wrong lane.
The teenager eventually surrendered his PIN number which Mr Gawith used to buy a packet of cigarettes from a service station.
The pair let the teenager out of the car and gave him back his cellphone, but when he tried to call police he was ordered back inside.
The group then drove to Kawerau, and the pair fled, taking the teenager's CDs and cellphone with them.
The victim, who was in an "extremely terrorised state", drove back to Rotorua and went to the police.
Police prosecutor Aroha Cooper said Mr Gawith admitted what he had done, saying he was desperate for money.
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Judge Phillip Cooper remanded Mr Gawith in custody for sentencing on April 28.
The teenager is alleged to have played the game repeatedly and told police when he was caught: "Life is a video game. You've got to die sometime."
The game, which has an R18 rating, lets players sleep with and kill prostitutes, steal cars, fight gang wars and shoot off people's heads.
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