Bank robber on P 'bender' sentenced to 6 years

Using P while going 12 days without sleep was no excuse for robbing a bank, a judge told a man yesterday.

In Tauranga District Court, Adam Ronald Leatham, 22, was sentenced to six years in prison for the armed hold-up of a Westpac bank in May.

After threatening staff with a plastic gun, Leatham stole almost $6300 in cash and punched a 74-year-old man who refused to give him his car keys to escape.

Leatham, who was on bail at the time, also made growling noises at shoppers and forced another man out of a car, which he stole.

He said he committed the crime because he feared his drug debts would cost him his life.

Judge Christopher Harding said P was not a mitigating factor under the Sentencing Act.

"P and its effect on young people is a scourge on our society and cannot be used as an excuse for this sort of offending," he said.

The judge said although drug problems were the root cause of Leatham's offending, people who indulged in P could not expect the court's sympathy.

Leatham had earlier pleaded guilty to two charges of aggravated robbery and one of assault with attempt to rob.

He was given permission to read a letter he had written to the judge, clearing his throat before saying in a loud voice that he was ashamed of and embarrassed by his actions.

He said P had made his judgment "cloudy and irrational" and he robbed the bank because he feared for his and his family's safety. "I was in a predicament that I thought I had had no way out of."

Leatham, whose previous convictions include theft, burglary and unlawful possession of a pistol, told the judge he wanted a crime and drug-free future.

"I appeal to you, Your Honour, to help me overcome my addiction."

Leatham was restless in the dock, rolling his eyes when Crown prosecutor Greg Hollister-Jones proposed a sentence of 8 1/2 to nine years and mentioned the previous convictions.

Leatham's lawyer, Craig Tuck, said his client had written letters of apology to his victims and, at the time of the robbery, had been severely impaired by 12 days without sleep.

"This man was on something of a bender ... He was flipping out."

He said Leatham had committed the crime out of real fear of being "next on the list under a bridge".

In October, two people were murdered under a bridge near Tauranga over a $5000 drug debt.

Since being in jail, Leatham had put on 20kg and was motivated to get over his P habit.

Judge Harding said Leatham's crime was "premeditated ... foolish and inevitably doomed".

He said the bank tellers had been significantly affected, while those outside the bank had mostly managed to move on. "That's unusual and an immense credit to them."

The bank had been forced to spend $20,000 on additional security and was unable to recover much of the $6300, which Leatham had paid to drug dealers.

The judge reduced the sentence by two years for Leatham's co-operation and early guilty plea.

Leatham was sentenced to six years for the bank robbery, 18 months for the aggravated robbery of the car, and 15 months for assaulting the 74-year-old, all served concurrently.

Leatham's family and friends were in the public gallery and he waved as he left the dock. "We love you, Adam," yelled one of his supporters.

Detective Senior Sergeant Greg Turner of Tauranga police said the robbery was another example of how the community was ravaged by illicit drugs and alcohol.