Mother prefers crack over son

The mother of a 17-year-old who robbed a Hastings shop told a social worker that given the choice between crack and her son, she would choose crack.

The youth was sentenced in November for his part in a robbery of a shop. He was under 17 when the offending occurred last year, so was dealt with by the Youth Court in Hastings.

A social worker’s report made for ‘‘concerning reading’’, Judge Max Courtney said. The teen’s mother led a dysfunctional life and Oranga Tamariki had taken the teen’s siblings from her care.

‘‘The report makes particularly concerning reading about comments by [the teen’s] mother.

‘‘This, in particular, relates to drug and alcohol use in the house and the report notes that his mother recently said that if she had to make a choice between [the teen] and crack, she would choose crack,’’ Judge Courtney said.

‘‘That is an absolutely astounding comment.’’

The mother at no point told the social worker she was disappointed by her son’s involvement in the crime.

‘‘She did not seem surprised by his offending and almost saw it as a rite of passage for someone in their family,’’ the judge said.

He gave the teen credit for not attempting to deflect blame on to others and for accepting his part in the offence.

The teen went into the shop with the intention of making the occupant scared.

‘‘I have no doubt that they would have been very scared, because both [the teen] and another of the co-offenders were carrying items that would have led those in the shop to believe they were carrying firearms,’’ the judge said.

It was the teen’s first appearance in the Youth Court.

The judge noted his disruptive upbringing, much of which had been in the care of his grandmother

‘‘That is an absolutely astounding comment.’’ Judge Max Courtney

and her partner.

For a period last year he had returned to the care of his mother.

Despite the mother’s comments, the social worker recommended he be returned to her care along with a sentence of supervision.

Judge Courtney said that he struggled to contemplate that but he took confidence in the teen’s attitude.

The judge supported the social worker’s recommendation on the understanding that all steps were taken to find the teen an alternative home as soon as possible.

‘‘What I believe needs to happen is for [the mother] to take account of her own failings and I believe the best thing that she can do for herself and [the teen] is to address her drug and alcohol issues,’’ he said.

If it was within his power to make it a condition of the teen’s sentence plan that she attended alcohol and drug counselling, he would have done so.

He sentenced the teen to supervision with activity for six months and ordered him to pay reparation of $106.66 when he could afford it.