A sentence of home detention for four Northland teenagers for a burglary spree totalling nearly $80,000 in stolen property has been met with outrage.
In Whangarei District Court Judge Duncan Harvey sentenced Dylan Christie, Matthew McKenzie and Ethan Poole, all 19, and Robert Hales, 18, to various stints of home detention, the longest being 10 months. They must do 300 hours' community work and pay reparation from nearly $12,800 to $20,950. Before their court appearance they had paid back some of the money owed and some of the stolen items were returned.
The four stole boats, fishing gear, outboard motors and tools worth nearly $80,000 from coastal properties late last year.
Former Maori Affairs Minister Dover Samuels told media the penalty was "inadequate", and thousands of social media posts claimed the teens escaped a custody sentence because they were white.
Comments left on the Northern Advocate website were similar in theme with most questioning the justice system and making the observation that if the offenders had been Maori or Pacific Islanders the most likely outcome would have been jail.