Three siblings sentenced
The havoc poverty, social dysfunction and drug and alcohol use can wreak was evident when three siblings from the same family were sentenced on Thursday, one after the other.
Benjamin Hayes, 18, Tremaine Hayes, 17 and their older sister Ruiha-Mere Jane Hayes, 20, faced a raft of charges and as each was dealt with in the New Plymouth District Court, another layer of the family dynamics and circumstances which drove their offending was revealed.
First up in the dock was Benjamin, who had pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including unlawfully taking motor vehicles, attempting to steal cars and burglary.
The 18-year-old’s offending spree, which spanned June and July, began when an older brother who had kept the family on the ‘‘straight and narrow’’ left. Until that point, Benjamin had no previous criminal convictions.
Lawyer Megan Boyd said there was ‘‘obviously significant dysfunction in the family’’ and much of her client’s offending had been motivated by a need to get money.
Boyd said despite Benjamin’s challenges, he had a dream of joining the army and to that end she asked Judge Garry Barkle to follow the probation service’s recommendation to keep the teen in the community. She said he had already spent three months in custody which had been a ‘‘wake-up call’’ for him.
Judge Barkle said Benjamin had become ‘‘somewhat of a crime wave’’ but his youth saved him from going back to prison.
Instead, a six month sentence of community detention, including a 7pm-7am curfew to a Kaponga address, was imposed along with an 18 month term of intensive supervision. Despite Benjamin’s dire financial situation, Judge Barkle made an order for $2199 to be paid in reparation.
For Tremaine, the court heard how his abuse of alcohol had been at the heart of some of his offences. This had been particularly evident during the June assault Tremaine committed against his father, mother and sister when he turned up drunk at the family’s home in New Plymouth.
Other offences which made up a list of eight charges included a burglary the teen committed on June 11 with Ruiha-Mere. The pair also stole a Ford Mondeo car, which they took on a joyride to Auckland, before they abandoned the vehicle and stripped it down.
Judge Barkle said he hoped Tremaine took advantage of the 18 month period of intensive supervision which he imposed.
Tremaine was also ordered to pay $750 in reparation.
Ruiha-Mere was sentenced on seven charges, the most serious of which was burglary. Lawyer Jo Woodcock said ‘‘the dominating issue’’ for the 20-year-old was her synthetic cannabis addiction.
Woodcock described her client’s use of the drug, which has been linked to 20 deaths in New Zealand, as being ongoing and ‘‘quite debilitating’’.
Judge Barkle said the offending meant jail could be justified as a penalty but he felt it would threaten Ruiha-Mere’s rehabilitation options, including a multiagency effort which was currently being set up to wrap services around the entire Hayes family.
However, the judge warned prison would be the only option if she breached her 18 month intensive supervision term. A reparation sum of $729.69 was also ordered.
Along with their sentences, the three siblings will be under judicial monitoring and required to attend a court hearing in three months time so Judge Barkle can monitor their progress.