A 15-year-old Hawera youth yesterday became one of the youngest people in New Zealand to be sent to jail.
Tom Priest, who appeared in the New Plymouth District Court, had admitted a central Taranaki ram-raid and the aggravated robbery of a service station on January 10.
The case was transferred from the Youth Court.
Yesterday Judge Christopher Harding jailed him for two years despite a defence plea for a suspended sentence.
The court heard that Priest's co-offender had been sentenced to four years.
Priest's lawyer had asked for a suspended sentence.
Crown solicitor Rebecca Mann told the court Priest had been involved in serious violent offending that warranted a jail term.
Judge Harding said he was shocked to hear of the drinking and hard-drug habits of such a young man leading up to the offences.
Boy, 15, jailed for robbery
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