Jail for 'mindless yobs' in boy racer case

The youngest boy racer in the "wolf mask" confrontation with families and golfers in Canterbury last November was today sentenced to nine months' jail.

Tony Tonihi, 17, didn't drive the car and he didn't wear the wolf mask, but he did shout threats to kill the members of the public who confronted the group and brandished a weapon.

In Christchurch District Court, he was sentenced to jail for nine months for his part in the ugly incident, after being held in custody since his arrest in December.

He was on bail at the time of the incident, and had been bailed to stay at the address of the young relative who turned out to be the driver.

That relative, Daniel Joseph Avery, 19, has already gone to jail for 16 months with a solid ticking off from the same judge who sentenced Tonihi today.

Tonihi was told his group had behaved like 'mindless yobs".

They drove to Charteris Bay and did doughnuts in the car on the grass verge beside the golf course.

Golfers and family groups were incensed, confronting them and seeing them off.

The youths smashed the windows of a car parked nearby, then flipped their own car as they drove off toward Teddington.

One of the youths wore a wolf mask during the confrontation.

The three others have already been sentenced. Avery was jailed, Marvelle Jackson, 18, got a year of home detention, and Harley George Linton, 17 at the time, got two months' community detention at home, and nine months' supervision.

Tonihi's defence counsel, Ruth Buddicom, said the youth had not expected what happened that day.

He had not pleaded guilty initially, but had naively expected his associates to come forward and absolve him from any major role. In the end it became a matter of every man for himself.

He had pleaded guilty to charges of intimidation, wilful damage, and possession of an offensive weapon.

Judge Neave said members of the public had been terrorised by the group's actions.

"This was absolutely disgraceful behaviour by a group of young men acting as an out of control mob."

It was regrettable that Tonihi had not seen much support from his family, he said.

- NZPA