KEY POINTS:
A tearful Hastings mother made a desperate plea to her P-addicted son in court, later watching as he was led off to prison.
"I'm tired, Jared, I'm so tired of this ... I'm at my wits' end, I've been doing this for four years," Jared Peter O'Shea's mother said.
Her son, 19, had pleaded guilty to theft and stealing money using a friend's eftpos card.
She told the Hastings District Court this week that he could no longer live at home because the family could not trust him.
"He's got to realise he may have the problem but that the sickness is on all of us," she said.
"I don't want to get the call that he's dead."
O'Shea admitted stealing $8566.80 of electronics and equipment from a Hastings backpacker in July to pay debts.
In August he took a friend's eftpos card and wiped his account of $850. He told police he bought food, petrol and "personal stuff" with the money.
O'Shea told Judge Mike Behrens QC, he had signed up to the Napier addiction services. But replied "last week" when asked when he had last used P, or methamphetamine.
A probation report said O'Shea showed no motivation to address his offending and expressed no remorse. He had also breached conditions to attend drug and alcohol counselling when he was released from prison this year. Judge Behrens said that while it would be ideal to send O'Shea to a rehabilitation programme, one was not available for three months.
The court also heard that the victims felt ripped off - especially O'Shea's friend - and there was no hope of reparation.
"He befriended you and you spat on him," Judge Behrens said to O'Shea.
The judge then jailed O'Shea for 10 months, with a special release condition to undertake a residential programme for his addiction.
Judge Behrens concluded: "You are back on the merry-go-round again and I hope you get off it this time."
- Hawke's Bay Today
