Defendant flies back from UK to ‘face the music’ in Timaru

A 26-year-old Englishman has flown halfway around the world to “face the music” in the Timaru District Court for four charges he admitted in January.

Jake Patrick Smith had been living in Temuka when he was convicted of drink-driving with a breath alcohol level of 1037mcg, more than four times the legal limit of 250mcg. He was also convicted of careless use of a motor vehicle and resisting police, arising from an incident on Arowhenua Rd, south of Temuka, on October 1, 2023, and of burglary in Hinds, south of Ashburton, on November 25, 2023.

Smith was granted permission to return home to the UK after a submission from his lawyer Paul Bradford in January.

“His father wants to get him home, get him some help, get him in a stable enough environment and then come back here and face the music," Bradford said at the time.

“He will be on his own when he comes back, but he will be back and to deal with matters when he returns.”

Smith fronted in court on Thursday, and received positive feedback from Bradford and Judge Campbell Savage. Bradford said Smith was “much better”. “I think the true character of this young man is that he knew he was facing serious charges ... he was in the UK and still came back,” Bradford said. He would be heading back to the UK after finishing the sentence.

“He was in a very bad space then, and now he’s getting out of that hole, and that space will echo the rest of his life with these convictions.

“For a young man to actually make that trip halfway across the world takes a degree of courage. Hopefully, given the character he has, that will enable him to overcome the issues with mental health and drugs.”

Judge Savage said he recalled the bail variation allowing Smith to return home. “You weren’t in a great shape then, but admitted it, and you talked to the people that you thought would most likely offer you the support, and it was clear to me that the best place for you to be was with your family.”

The judge said Smith would have still been suffering angst knowing that the whole time he was away, he had this matter to deal with. “You’ve gritted your teeth and boarded a plane to come back, and today’s the day it all comes to an end.

“It’s easy to run away from problems, but you’ve come back and confronted them head on.

“Had you not, then there would have been warrants out for your arrest, and no doubt Interpol would have got involved to bring you back to face these charges. You would have known for the rest of your life you had run out on a situation you created.

“Part of growing is confronting situations that you’ve put yourself in, and you’ve done that.”

The judge told Smith there was a need “to look at where you are now, rather than where you were”.

“Community detention means you will be in this country a wee bit longer.”

Smith received six months’ community detention and six months’ supervision on the burglary charge, and was convicted and discharged on the careless use and resisting charges. For his drink-driving charge, a 28-day licence suspension followed by alcohol interlock and zero-alcohol licences would apply.