Judge warns plotter to ‘make an effort’
A judge has warned a 20-year-old who once planned a terroriststyle attack in Christchurch not to ‘‘burn bridges’’ with people helping him stay out of prison.
The man, who has permanent name suppression, was 17 in 2017 when he was radicalised online and planned an Isis-style attack.
He wanted to ram a car into a crowd and then stab people until police killed him.
He went ahead with a threatening and violent incident but decided not to hurt anybody ‘‘because he did not have the means to kill enough people’’.
Yesterday, the man admitted two charges of breaching his supervision sentence after making threats and using derogatory language to staff members at the facility where he had been staying after being released from prison. Christchurch District Court Judge Stephen O’Driscoll has been monitoring the man’s progress almost every month since his initial sentencing, and has had to deal with a series of setbacks and charges.
He told the man: ‘‘Do you not understand the efforts that everyone is trying to do to make things work? It would be so much easier to send you to prison and then forget about you but everybody is working together to try to make things best for you. You need to recognise that and make an effort, particularly not to act in a threatening manner to those who are trying to help. You should not burn your bridges.’’
The man has proved difficult to handle at the accommodation where he had been living under close supervision, while he studied, learned life skills and sometimes went out for sporting activities – including his first round of golf. He has faced charges of absconding, or sneaking access to cellphones, and now charges involving threats.
He admitted using phones in breach of his supervision order but authorities established he accessed some pornography and had not visited any radicalising sites.
Defence counsel Anselm Williams said it was hoped his client
‘‘It would be so much easier to send you to prison and then forget about you but everybody is working together to try to make things best for you.’’
Judge Stephen O’Driscoll
could be moved into new accommodation outside the prison early next week. Authorities are moving others into the new accommodation and want to fill it in stages.
They have talked about not moving the 20-year-old in until after Christmas. ‘‘He is currently being held in the at-risk unit at the prison, and that is no place for anybody. He is by himself. He wants to be released and there is a place he could be released to,’’ Williams said. Judge O’Driscoll remanded the man for sentencing – and likely placement in the new unit – on Tuesday. He suggested it would be good for the man to apologise to the person he abused and threatened at his previous accommodation.