Man fearing a beating stole a car and quad bike to get away

"You don't need a lecture from me, I'm sure you have received lectures from many judges in the past."

Judge Chris Sygrove

A man who feared he was in for a beating stole a car and then took a quad bike to get away from his assailants, a court heard.

Freedom Te Whakatowateatanga Frances Namana, 19, was at a relative’s home in Waverley on February 4 when some people arrived and confronted him.

They alleged he and his girlfriend had stolen from them, a police summary of facts stated when it was presented in the

Ha¯ wera District Court.

Namana fled the address and jumped over a fence into another property where he found a green Mitsubishi Pajero that was parked with keys in the ignition.

Jumping into the driver’s seat Namana drove off in it but a short time later the vehicle broke down near the Waverley racecourse.

Namana then noticed a quad bike in a shed at the racecourse.

This also had a key in the ignition and so he drove off on it and went to Pa¯ tea.

When he was arrested that afternoon Namana told the police he took the two vehicles to get away from Waverley because he was getting beaten up, the summary said.

Namana was sentenced on charges of theft and burglary and a number of other offences, to which he had already pleaded guilty.

On January 19, Namana and an associate stole a wallet from a man who gave them a lift, and went on a spending spree in Palmerston North, a second police summary said.

The victim was travelling from Pahiatua to Ashhurst on January 19 and noticed Namana and his associate standing on the side of the road and gave them a ride to Ashhurst. During the ride the managed to steal the driver’s wallet without him noticing.

The pair were identified later by CCTV footage that showed them using the victim’s cards to make 12 purchases at Kmart, the Warehouse, and Subway in Palmerston North totalling $310.

The pair were jointly charged with theft and using a document for pecuniary advantage.

Namana also faced two charges of theft relating to an attempt to steal petrol from a farm at Kaponga on January 26, and the theft of $40.23 of petrol from Z in Ha¯ wera on February 1.

Namana’s lawyer Neal Harding said his client needed to find better ways of solving problems.

‘‘When he is presented with a problem, he solves it in the most immediate way with no regard to the consequences. He needs a car, he steals a car. He has no fuel, but the farmer has got a fuel tank.

‘‘This habit of addressing problems in this way has him back to this dock.’’

‘‘You don’t need a lecture from me, I’m sure you have received lectures from many judges in the past,’’ Judge Chris Sygrove said. ‘‘Yes,’’ Namana meekly replied. ‘‘It’s time for you to flick a switch,’’ Sygrove continued. ‘‘Until you decide it’s time for you to wake up and do something with your life, you’ll end up in prison,’’ he said.

‘‘The problem you have is the people you mix with.’’

He ordered Namana to pay reparation of $300 and sentenced him to 12 months of supervision.