KEY POINTS:
A trial sentencing option on a South Auckland marae proved too tough for a young Christchurch offender.
Christchurch District Court Judge Michael Crosbie sent 20-year-old Jamie Rangi Thomas Heron to the Nga-Whare-Waatea programme on a marae at Mangere Bridge in August.
Heron went to classes to learn literacy and numeracy. He attended the Tikanga Maori courses and did labouring work.
In November things went wrong. Heron became agitated when his girlfriend from Christchurch was not allowed to live with him there.
He was meant to be showing he could handle the community-based sentence instead of jail, and Judge Crosbie was due to consider his sentence on December 18 at Manukau District Court.
But three weeks before then, Heron disappeared. He turned up in Christchurch this month, having got a job at a vineyard.
Judge Crosbie made it clear at sentencing yesterday that Heron had blown his last chance, saying, "What I just don't get is why you stayed up there for so long and did so well and then scarpered."
Defence counsel Paul Norcross said Heron maintained that he had left the marae to visit his sick grandfather.
Heron was sentenced on 10 charges yesterday, including thefts from cars, burglaries, providing false details, and driving with excess breath-alcohol.
Judge Crosbie jailed him for nine months, refused him leave to apply for home detention, and ordered him to pay $2000 reparations. He refused to set aside $24,423 in unpaid fines, ordering that Heron be returned to court later for a further jail term to be considered in place of the fines.
- NZPA
