KEY POINTS:
They robbed him at gunpoint and assaulted him, but instead of seeking a jail sentence for his attackers, a 16-year-old urged a judge to go easy on them.
Tauranga District Court judge Louis Bidois praised the "courage" shown by the victim when sentencing Reweti Witana and Chad George, both aged 17.
The victim asked for leniency: "I have got to know these two boys and they are really fine young men who have shown remorse to me and my family," he said.
"They are very bright and have a good future ahead of them. I don't want to see them go to jail."
Witana and George had admitting one charge each of aggravated robbery and two charges of assaults with intent to rob.
Their victim's plea in court came on the heels of a "very positive" restorative justice conference attended by all of Witana and George's victims from the robbery in Papamoa.
However, Crown prosecutor Hailey Booth said a prison sentence was warranted, for the premeditated gratuitous and unprovoked violence.
The court was told that on October 31, Witana and George drove around Papamoa for several hours with another associate.
They were armed with air pistols, pellet rounds and Hallowe'en masks.
Shortly after 8.30pm, they spotted a group of four males walking in an alleyway. Witana parked up while George and the other associate approached them, showing them one of the pistols. Two rounds were then fired into the ground and they drove off.
But at 9.30pm the pair saw the group again and decided to rob them.
Witana, wearing a mask covering his face, rushed at the 16-year-old, snatched his bag and he and a youth kicked and punched him to the ground.
George pointed his air pistol at one of the other youths and demanded he hand over his cellphone.
Witana then pointed his pistol at the head of a third teen, demanded he hand over his phone and, when he refused, fired into the ground.
Defence lawyer Tony Balme said the robbery started out as an immature stupid prank but got out of control.
Judge Bidois told Witana and George that it was serious offending.
"It can't get any worse than this, when you point guns at someone's head, who thought they [would] die ... I accept you are [remorseful]," he said.
He sentenced George and Witana to 12 months' home detention and 240 hours of community work.
They must pay $1000 each to one victim and $750 each to the two other youths.
- BAY OF PLENTY TIMES
