His brother, Elijah Ernest Frank Betham, pleaded guilty to assault with intent to rob, also punishable by up to 14 years.<\/p>\n
Court documents state the victims were lured to the Hobsonville Countdown carpark about 4pm on September 16 last year after offering a diamond sovereign ring for sale on Facebook Marketplace for $4500.<\/p>\n
Elijah Betham has pleaded guilty to a violent robbery that took place at the carpark of a Woolworths supermarket in September 2025. Photo \/ Google<\/p>\n
Another defendant is alleged to have feigned an interest in buying the ring. Instead, it is alleged, he arranged for the Betham brothers and others to raid the carpark meet-up, pretending to be a random robbery.<\/p>\n
Upon arrival at the scene, Elijah Betham jumped out of the car alongside an unidentified man wielding a machete and rushed the 20-year-old seller, who was knocked to the ground.<\/p>\n
\u201c[The victim] was taken to the ground and assaulted by Elijah Betham and his associate,\u201d states the summary of facts for both brothers. <\/p>\n
\u201c[He] received multiple strikes with hands, feet from the machete.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was struck at least once to the head with the machete, causing a wound to the left side of his head and left ear.\u201d<\/p>\n
A CCTV still from outside a Hobsonsville Woolworth’s in West Auckland shows Malachi Betham (red square) firing a shotgun at a passing vehicle in September 2025. Photo \/ NZ Police<\/p>\n
The victim was later taken to hospital via ambulance. He suffered a \u201csignificant laceration\u201d to the side of his head, causing \u201csignificant damage\u201d to his ear.<\/p>\n
Two 18-year-olds had accompanied the seller to the carpark and were waiting in the car when the machete attack began.<\/p>\n
They drove off, leaving the seller behind, after noticing Malachi Betham walking towards them with a shotgun, court documents state.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs [the] car passed alongside Malachi Betham, Malachi Betham raised the shotgun and fired the shotgun once into the driver\u2019s side window area of the complainants\u2019 car,\u201d court documents state. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe shot was fired within two metres of the complainants\u2019 car.\u201d<\/p>\n
The shotgun pellets narrowly missed the driver, lodging instead in the front right pillar. No one inside the vehicle was injured.<\/p>\n
Photos show damage to an occupied car that Malachi Betham fired at with a shotgun from about two metres away. Photo \/ NZ Police<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere\u2019s your f***ing money?\u201d the twins shouted as they met up where the machete attack victim was still on the ground.<\/p>\n
They then drove away at speed.<\/p>\n
In a phone call from jail a week after their arrests, Elijah Betham was recorded admitting the brothers\u2019 involvement as he tried to reassure an unidentified person on the other end of the line.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t beat yourself up, yo,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s Malachi\u2019s own doing, the stoned c***.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is all our own doing, yo. F***, wouldn\u2019t even be in this position if we didn\u2019t do what we did.\u201d<\/p>\n
During the brothers\u2019 sentencing, Justice Kawharu noted that Malachi Betham said he set up the robbery because the machete attack victim had owed him drug money. The gunshot, the defendant said, had been intended as a warning shot. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought you should take the law into your own hands,\u201d the judge said. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not clear what you were trying to warn them about.<\/p>\n
\u201cNot only was the taking of the shot completely unprovoked, but [the victim] was leaving the scene as you took it.\u201d<\/p>\n
She ordered a starting point of eight years, then allowed reductions of 35% for his guilty plea and for his difficult upbringing, in which he and his brother recalled often not having food in the house but plenty of alcohol and cannabis. <\/p>\n
They also reported being exposed to gang violence at a young age. <\/p>\n
It resulted in a sentence of five years and one month in prison.<\/p>\n
Elijah Betham, meanwhile, was ordered to serve three years and nine months\u2019 imprisonment. <\/p>\n
Defence lawyer David Hoskin argued his client did not know his brother had brought a gun to the confrontation. Crown prosecutor Isabella Jo argued the shotgun must have been in plain sight given the size of the compact car they arrived in. <\/p>\n
CCTV footage from the carpark showed Malachi Betham emerging from the car with the gun within seconds, which also suggests it was easily accessible rather than hidden away, Jo said. <\/p>\n
Hoskin replied that while there may be a suspicion both brothers knew about the gun, it was not included in the agreed facts and cannot be inferred beyond a reasonable doubt. <\/p>\n
While announcing her decision, Justice Kawharu said she was encouraged by Elijah Betham\u2019s statements that he wanted to move on from gang life. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs with your brother, no one here wants to learn about any more offending on your part,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n