Judge's efforts to rehabilitate an alcoholic offender fall flat after man walks out of treatment

Luke Roebuck walked out of a rehab programme after only half a day of treatment. Stock Image / 123RF

When Judge Tony Greig dealt with chronic alcoholic and recidivist offender Luke Roebuck's recent criminal matters, the focus was to get him to rehab.

The judge "nursed" the Taranaki man to treatment through the sentences he imposed, jailing him and then keeping him on home detention until the Salvation Army Bridge Programme could take him - on February 1 this year.

Judge Greig really wanted rehab to succeed for Roebuck. Perhaps more than Roebuck did himself.

Because after half a day at the Wellington programme, he walked out, it was heard in New Plymouth District Court on Thursday.

He is now back in custody and faces one count of breaching home detention – an earlier charge for cutting off his bracelet, and one count of breaching his post-detention conditions, which relates to him not attending rehab.

In September last year, Judge Greig sentenced Roebuck to 20 months' jail for a number of drunken assaults.

At the time, Roebuck's defence counsel argued for intensive supervision coupled with judicial monitoring but the judge opted for jail, saying in order to give Roebuck the best shot at staying sober and to keep the community safe, it was best to keep him locked up until he began rehab.

When a suitable address became available, the judge converted the sentence to 10 months' home detention.

But Roebuck breached that and when he again went before Judge Greig he was resentenced to three months' home detention with the purpose of getting him to rehab.

Luke Roebuck appeared in New Plymouth District Court on Thursday. Photo / Tara Shaskey

The treatment programme wasn't able to take him with an ankle bracelet and he would still be subject to 12 months' post-detention conditions, it was heard.

Roebuck returned to court on January 28 to have the home detention sentence officially cancelled, as rehab was due to begin only days later.

He wanted the sentence to end that day, so he could spend the weekend getting organised to go.

But worried Roebuck would instead spend the weekend drinking, Judge Greig declined that request and cancelled it as of January 31.

Roebuck made it to rehab the following day, but after a few hours in he left on his own accord.

In court, he pleaded guilty to the two breaches and his lawyer Hamish Fairy asked for a sentence of two months' jail, meaning Roebuck would be out in about one month.

He had a job lined up in Tauranga which started next month, Fairy said.

But Judge Lynne Harrison was presiding that day and believed, as she didn't know enough about the background of Roebuck's case, it was more appropriate for Judge Greig to deal with the new charges.

"I'm not at all convinced that, with the small background I've heard, that one month will do the trick."

She adjourned the matter for Roebuck to return to court before Judge Greig on February 24.

He was remanded back into custody until then.