Work term for teen who shot father

A Northland teenager who accidentally shot and killed his father has been sentenced to 300 hours' community work.

Colin Adams, 17, killed his 46-year-old father Brian on May 16 when he accidentally fired a rifle pointed at his parents' car as they drove down the driveway of their Hukerenui home, 30km north of Whangarei.

Adams was in the lounge trying out the rifle which he had bought on behalf of his mother as a 25th wedding anniversary present for her husband.

Adams told police his father loaded the rifle that morning, but he thought it had been unloaded again.

He pleaded guilty in August to careless use of a firearm causing death.

Police sought a jail sentence for Adams, saying that despite his young age he was experienced with firearms and should have checked that the rifle wasn't loaded before sighting on the car.

Defence lawyer Arthur Fairley said Adams would live with the fact that he had killed his father for the rest of his life and that was a far harsher sentence than any jail term.

Judge Michael Green said Adams had failed to obey the most basic principles of firearm safety by not checking whether the gun was loaded.

But after taking account of victim impact statements, Adams' age and the circumstances of the case he could spare Adams a jail term.

- NZPA