In another robbery, a dairy worker was stabbed multiple times, while another victim was struck with a metal object at a different store.
Williams, of Manurewa, appeared in the Hamilton District Court for sentencing recently for six charges of aggravated robbery, along with charges for aggravated burglary and driving while forbidden and 11 charges related to the theft of, or getting into, stolen cars.
He accepted a sentence indication in March, when Judge Denise Clark took an 11-year starting point and agreed to issue a 25% discount for his guilty pleas.
She left the door open for other discounts to be examined.
That saw Williams’ counsel, Jonathan Myers, push for 70% in credit, with the Crown vehemently objecting, urging the judge not to use her discretion to go above the Government’s 40% cap.
The sentence she eventually handed down, after factoring in total discounts of 58%, caught both counsel off guard.
‘It was quite traumatising’
Dollar Dealer’s assistant manager, Asha Clark, told NZME none of those who were at work that day worked there anymore, but not necessarily because of what happened.
However, she believed Williams should have received a decent prison sentence.
“It was quite traumatising from what I know of everyone involved, so I’d definitely say it should have been a longer sentence.
“I don’t think there should have been as much of a discount on the sentence.
“It shook us up quite a lot because it was one of our first big robberies in this specific store.”
Meanwhile, victim’s advocate, Claire Buckley, said if criminals get discounts, at what point do judges “take into consideration how long victims are going to take to recover from this crime”.
“How much trauma was inflicted on the victims and look at that as an aggravating factor.
“58% is really excessive, aside of being ahead of the 40% cap, I think most people would be incredibly angry to hear that anyone got more than half of their sentence removed.
“You speak to any of those [victims] and they will all be traumatised by that.
“They will have fear, hypervigilance and difficulty with their daily lives because they’ve had to live through an aggravated robbery which is generally where a weapon is involved.
“That’s hugely traumatic for people.”
‘Tyre irons, machetes, poles, knife, wheel lock’
The first armed robbery happened on November 29, 2024.
Williams and three others ran into JJ’s liquor store in Clover Park, with one of them hitting the staff member on the arm with a metal stick.
Williams, who was armed with a tyre iron, and two others filled a plastic tub with cigarettes. They stole multiple bottles of alcohol before fleeing.
Fast forward to September last year, and Williams and an unknown co-defendant drove a stolen vehicle to NZ Post on St George St, Papatoetoe.
His associate ran in, wielding a knife, jumping through the security wiring over the countertop, and rummaging around the till area.
The storeperson ran out the back, and a second till was stolen, and the group left.
On September 30, a Subaru vehicle was stolen, and at 6.10am that day, Williams and two others used it to drive to Round the Clock superette in Manurewa.
An associate had a knife, while Williams and an associate headed straight for the cigarette cabinet.
The victim ran outside, closing the roller door behind him, but Williams managed to force it back open.
He kicked the victim twice in the leg and held him, pushing him around, while the others continued stealing products.
Williams left the victim outside and went back in to get more cigarettes, but the victim followed him.
His associate stabbed him in the arm and pointed the knife at him to keep him at bay as the group continued to raid the cigarettes cabinet.
Calais Williams was one of three involved in the armed robbery of Dollar Dealers in Birkenhead in October last year.
The victim tried to stop them from leaving, so an associate stabbed him two more times and kicked his lower back as they fled.
The next day, the group used a stolen Toyota to head to pawnbrokers Dollar Dealers in Birkenhead.
Armed with tyre irons and wearing masks, they smashed the glass display cabinets to steal handbags, mobile phones, and watches worth around $22,000, as two staff members and young children looked on.
The incident was witnessed by members of the public who filmed them as they fled, and a member of the public drove their car into the group’s stolen Toyota.
They drove to Zion Rd where they swapped cars, before abandoning that vehicle in Northcote.
Williams, the front seat passenger, and his then 16-year-old co-accused were arrested after their blood was found in the car.
On October 4, Williams and three others were back at it, using a stolen Subaru to head to Four Square Silverdale in Hamilton.
They ran in with their faces covered, while Williams also had a hood over his head.
One of the group was armed with a steering wheel lock, which he waved around, swinging it at a staff member who lost her balance and fell backwards on to the ground.
Other associates opened the drawers to the tills and cabinets and took cigarettes. The total loss was about $20,000.
Calais Williams and his co-offenders struck the Fresh At Dairy in Rotorua on October 16, 2025. Image / Google maps
The Pacific Superette in Māngere was hit at 4.16pm on October 5, last year.
Williams and a co-offender jumped the counter and stole cash, cigarettes, vape products, and a POS system printer worth around $28,000 before leaving in their stolen Nissan Tiida.
Early on October 15, Williams and his co-offenders stole a Subaru from a Torbay property and the next day drove it to Rotorua, where they stole a second Subaru.
They parked one on Elizabeth St, to use as their getaway car, before heading to the Fresh @ Dairy in Rotorua, armed with machetes and a hammer.
The shopkeeper was surrounded before they stole cigarette trays, running in and out of the shop, and dropping some packets along the way.
They fled back to Auckland.
Three days later, they hit the Rolleston Street Dairy, Cambridge, in a stolen ute, reversing it into the front doors and stealing vape products.
The group were tracked to Lake Te Koo Utu by a police dog handler and arrested just after 4am.
‘That’s a significant jump’
Crown prosecutor James Lewis fought against the defence push for extra discounts.
He said issuing credit up to 70% would be “very much out of proportion with the gravity of the offending”, noting that it was spree offending around three districts.
Lewis accepted section 27 factors were relevant and could be recognised by 10%, along with 25% for his guilty pleas and a further 5% for his intellectual disabilities.
If the defence were successful, that would see Williams’ sentence go from 11 years’ jail down to just over three years.
Calais Williams and an associate stole money, cigarettes, vape products and a POS system printer worth $28,000 during a burglary of the Pacific Superette on October 5, last year. Image / Google maps
“That’s a significant jump,” Lewis said.
“A jump that would be entirely disproportionate to the nature of the offending … which occurred targeting small business premises, the damage of which was well over $70,000.
The actions of Williams and his cohort had also been traumatic for the victims, at least one of whom was still getting psychological help.
‘He’s sorry for what he’s done’
Williams’ counsel, Jonathan Myers, said the 70% discount was well justified because of his client’s “traumatic” upbringing, his low IQ and mild intellectual disability, which saw him struggle at school.
It was then that behavioural issues began, he started smoking cannabis and cigarettes.
He said Williams was a “very respectful young man” despite his traumatic upbringing, which involved violence, drugs, and alcohol in the home.
His parents had both served prison time.
“In terms of a young man having that sort of life … that’s really catastrophic for him, and it sent him on the trajectory to where we are today.
“He had no relationship with his mum or dad.”
The 70% comprised 25% for plea, 15% for youth, 20% for his background, and 10% for his low level of cognition.
While he didn’t seek a discount for remorse, Williams was “sorry for what he’s done”.
‘This will be a long sentence’
Judge Clark noted Williams started using cannabis aged 10, which he’d explained to a report writer that he’d used it to help numb how he was feeling.
He had low self-worth and feelings of abandonment and disillusionment, and grew up vulnerable to being influenced by others.
He’d been diagnosed with complex developmental trauma, conduct disorder, and substance use disorder.
His IQ of 70 sat in the second percentile, putting him in “an extremely low range”.
She said his upbringing was “terrible”, so she allowed a 20% discount for that, and a further 10% for cognition issues.
From a starting point of 11 years’ jail, she took off that 30% discount, reducing it to 92 months.
She then issued a 25% discount for his guilty pleas, and 15% for youth.
Taking 40% off 92 months reduced it to 55 months’ prison – which is a 58% discount from the starting point.
“Now, some people might say four years and seven months is not a long time for what happened, but for someone who faces the things that you face, it is a long time.
“For anyone who has been in prison before, it’s a long time.”
While in custody, Corrections had deemed Williams suitable for their youth programme in Christchurch.
He would be sent there as soon as the programme starts this month.
Judge Clark also issued Williams with a first strike warning and granted a firearm prohibition order.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 11 years and has been a journalist for 22.