Brothers went on drunken spree in city

Brothers Jimmy and Rupert Max Ellis-Jones have not quite reached agreement about how to pay for all the damage they did on a drunken spree through two Christchurch suburbs.

Rupert, 25, has taken out a loan to pay the $3520 damage bill for eight cars and a trailer and will pay it immediately to the courts, to be passed on to the victims. He does not think Jimmy, 23, should have to pay half.

He told Judge David Saunders at their Christchurch District Court sentencing yesterday: ‘‘I’m happy to pay the full amount because I did destroy his car. I think it’s fair.’’

Jimmy, an apprentice builder, does not quite agree and is still talking about paying his half.

‘‘You can make some arrangement between yourselves about paying a share,’’ said the judge as he sentenced them for intentionally damaging the cars and trailer, and Rupert on additional charges of reckless driving and refusing to let police take a blood specimen.

Police said the brothers spent most of February 5 drinking heavily, before driving around Phillipstown and Woolston.

On Olliviers Rd, they broke three windows and a wing mirror of one car, and the rear windscreen of two more.

They moved on to Mackenzie Ave and smashed windows and mirrors on three cars. They then rammed cars and a loaded trailer in Seaforth Place and Dampier St.

Rupert Ellis-Jones told police he had been ‘‘depressed about Waitangi Day, Donald Trump and the world’’.

The judge ordered Rupert to do 100 hours of community work and ordered him to pay all the reparations.

He ordered Jimmy to do 80 hours of community work for the intentional damage and six months’ supervision.