The bus station attack<\/a> happened at the Hamilton Central Bus Depot about 5.20pm on 10 March this year.<\/p>\nThe victim was waiting for a bus when Tiopira walked up to her and kicked her without warning, before throwing a “flurry of punches” to her head, causing her to fall to the ground.<\/p>\n
Tiopira bent over and grabbed the victim by her hair with a closed fist, before punching her in the head with her other fist as the victim lay on the ground.<\/p>\n
The other assault happened at Mill St Pak’nSave on 23 November, when Tiopira and her co-offender were in the store.<\/p>\n
Tiopira put two Lewis Road chocolate milk bottles in her shoulder bag, while her co-offender put two pies and an energy drink down his pants.<\/p>\n
They were confronted as they left the self-checkout area, and the staff member was able to recover one bottle of milk.<\/p>\n
However, Tiopira then tried to jump the exit gates before the staff member grabbed her shoulder bag with the chocolate milk inside.<\/p>\n
Tiopira made “multiple” attempts to hit the victim in the face, and was successful “a couple” of times, court documents state.<\/p>\n
Tiopira and her co-offender then fled the store with the items.<\/p>\n
‘A complete surprise attack’<\/p>\n
In sentencing Tiopira, Judge Crayton labelled it a “complete surprise attack in circumstances where they were not able to defend themselves”.<\/p>\n
It’d had a serious impact on the bus depot victim.<\/p>\n
“She was here visiting her mother. She hoped to only be here a short amount of time. She has suffered significant injuries and consequences of your violence.”<\/p>\n
That included ongoing dizziness, nausea, not being able to work or return home, and losing her job.<\/p>\n
“The emotional effect is she now is not feeling safe in New Zealand the way she once did.”<\/p>\n
‘People should feel safe in a public space’<\/p>\n
Of the supermarket offence, the judge said: “If you attack someone who is merely doing their job, trying to stop you from doing crime, then plainly there is a need to deter you and protect them.”<\/p>\n
He said Tiopira had a “very poor” criminal history, with convictions in February last year of assaulting a child and injuring with intent to injure, for which she was jailed for 13 months.<\/p>\n
She also had dishonesty and assault convictions stretching back to 2019.<\/p>\n
Judge Crayton took an overall starting point of 21 months before allowing credits of 25 percent, allowing for her plea, background, and remorse.<\/p>\n
He got down to 15 months’ and three weeks’ jail before then considering home detention.<\/p>\n
Tiopira had a property available, but the judge said he was “confronted by the fact that this was an unprovoked and significantly violent attack in a public place where everyone should feel safe, at the bus depot”.<\/p>\n
He also noted that she wouldn’t have been out of jail long after her most recent stint, before carrying out this attack.<\/p>\n
“In the circumstances I am not satisfied that commuting to home detention would … deter you from further offending .. .and protect the community.”<\/p>\n
As Tiopira had already been in custody about four months, he noted she would likely be released in a further three months.<\/p>\n
She would then be subject to six months of prison release conditions.<\/p>\n
– This story originally appeared in the New Zealand Herald<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/4LTMYVF_copyright_image_291122.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
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