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A judge's decision to allow a criminal who dealt drugs while on home detention to apply for more home detention has been slammed as "pathetic" by the Sensible Sentencing Trust.
Kane Harris Joseph Johnston-Walters, 19, was yesterday sentenced in the High Court at Invercargill to 17 months' prison after earlier admitting 14 charges of possessing cannabis for supply and six charges of offering to sell cannabis.
The charges related to offences committed on April 23 when Johnson-Walters was already serving a six-month home-detention sentence for possessing a cannabis pipe and an offensive weapon.
Justice John Fogarty gave the teenager leave to apply for home detention again, the Southland Times reported.
The sentence has enraged Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar, who labelled it "pathetic" and said it gave criminals the green light to do as they pleased.
Home detention requires an offender to remain at an approved residential address under electronic monitoring and close supervision by a probation officer.
Johnston-Walters was caught during a police undercover drug sting while living in a flatting situation.
Justice Fogarty said he was concerned the drug dealing had taken place while Johnston-Walters was already on home detention but said it was now his intention to live with his parents.
"... it may well be that your family can knock some sense into you, and for that reason I do grant you leave to apply for home detention," he said.
Sensible Sentencing Trust spokesman Garth McVicar said the decision would give the community's apprentice criminals the green light to proceed with their careers.
"They will see there's no deterrent, there's nothing to be afraid of.
"Even offenders are telling us it's a joke... this allows them to have a big party at home," he said.
- NZPA
