Man jailed for flouting rules to attend dinner

A DUNEDIN man who did not want to be left alone at Christmas has been jailed for flouting rules so he could attend a festive dinner.

On September 8, 2022, Hone Tipa Malcolm McQueen (25) was sentenced to nine months’ home detention for offending, which included drinkdriving, breaching community work and assault with intent to injure, the Dunedin District Court heard this week.

After serving just three months of a home detention sentence Judge Dominic Flatley called ‘‘fraught with difficulty’’,

McQueen came to police attention for an incident at his home.

Responding to a family harm incident between the man and his mother, police arrived and found a party had been going on and ‘‘all participants were intoxicated’’, the court heard.

By consuming alcohol McQueen was in breach of his sentence and stated ‘‘he just wasn’t really thinking’’.

Three weeks later on Christmas Day, McQueen was granted absence from his detention address to attend a celebration with his daughter.

On the same day, the electronic monitoring (EM) team received a phone call from one of McQueen’s associates, asking for McQueen’s leave to be extended so he could attend a Christmas dinner.

The request was denied. Another phone call was received, the associate informing the EM team they ‘‘refused to leave him at home due to concerns about his mental health’’.

McQueen was contacted by the Community Corrections service manager, who informed him his absence had not been approved.

‘‘F. . . it. You just ruined my f. . . ing Christmas. I will f... off home,’’ McQueen said before hanging up the phone.

When questioned, the man said he ‘‘did not want to be left alone on Christmas’’.

McQueen served seven months of his sentence and spent some time in custody before appearing in court this week.

He admitted to three breaches of home detention and was sentenced to seven months’ imprisonment — because of time already served in custody he will likely be released soon.