Video has emerged of a young boy from the unruly British tourists pulling the finger and yelling at media and locals outside court in Hamilton today.
Footage captured by the Herald shows a female walking away from the camera with a young boy by her side, flipping the bird at a Herald journalist following the court appearance of a 26-year-old relative.
When approaching the female family member for comment, the young boy turned and pulled the finger, shouting at media.
Another family member joined the woman and the young boy outside court, and were met by members of the public and media.
Members of the public were heard yelling abuse at the family, with many others filming the trio leaving court.
Locals can be heard shouting "how's your holiday?" and "you going to pick your rubbish up?" while others asked "when are you going home?"
The family hid their faces behind white pieces of paper as media quizzed them over the theft of red bull, a rope and a pair of sunglasses from a Caltex store in Auckland.
The trio was then seen running down the road and into a waiting car.
The ugly scene occurred after 26-year-old Tina Maria Cash pleaded guilty to stealing energy drinks, a rope and sunglasses from an Auckland service station on two separate occasions.
The court heard that Cash stole a can of Red Bull from a Caltex service station at Albany on December 31.
At the same time another woman she was with hid a bottle of Primo milk under her dressing gown while paying for a packet of cigarettes.
Cash allegedly waited at the door until the service station assistant was distracted serving the other woman and left with the can of Red Bull.
The other woman allegedly did not pay for the Primo.
On January 3, Cash allegedly returned to the Caltex with her children and stole more Red Bull, rope and sunglasses valued at $50.
Her lawyer told the court she does not remember the incident, but accepts the theft was caught on CCTV video.
She has been convicted and ordered to pay $55 in reparation.
The court heard Cash arrived in the country on December 29 with her extended family, believed to be either Irish travellers or English citizens, on a six-month visa.
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Irish Travellers are a traditionally itinerant ethnic group who maintain a set of traditions. Although predominantly English-speaking, some also use Shelta and other similar cants. They live mostly in Ireland as well as comprising large communities in the United Kingdom and the United States. Their origin is disputed. Traveller rights groups have long pushed for ethnic status from the Irish government, finally succeeding in 2017.
So they're kind of an ethnic group, kind of a lifestyle group, but not necessarily simply travelers from Ireland :D