Home detention woes for one Timaru man

A Timaru man who found home detention far harder than he had expected, left the house for three days and cut off his monitoring bracelet.

Brendon Shayne Harris, 31 pleaded guilty to charges of breaching home detention and theft of the monitoring bracelet when he appeared before Judge Brian Callaghan in the Timaru District Court yesterday.

Last October Harris was sentenced to five months home detention for unlawfully taking his partner’s vehicle.

On December 28, Harris left the house, and went out into the country where a friend helped him remove the monitoring bracelet valued at more than $1000.

Three days later he appeared at the Timaru police station and handed himself in.

Judge Callaghan agreed home detention was not the easy option some people thought it was.

He noted Harris had gone to quite an extent to avoid detection, getting someone to help him remove the bracelet. It was recovered later.

Judge Callaghan said while Harris’ personal circumstances were unfortunate — having lost a leg in an accident and then becoming a drug addict as a result of the medication he was taking — he had been offered plenty of assistance over the years, and that could only continue for so long.

Resentencing him on the unlawful taking of his partner’s car, the judge sentenced him to three months in prison. He received a further cumulative three-month sentence for the home detention breach and theft of the ankle bracelet.

Other cases A Timaru woman received benefit payments of more than $5300 which she was not entitled to when she failed to inform officials she was working.

Mandy Jayne McLennan, 25, pleaded guilty to eight charges of using a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage and three charges of wilfully omitting to provide information (relating to paid work she was undertaking). McLennan claimed she did not tell Work and Income when she was working as she needed the benefit money to pay bills.

She was remanded to February 8 for probation report and sentence.

Catherine Louise McDonald, 19, unemployed, Timaru; used a document to obtain a pecuniary advantage — convicted and remanded for a pre-sentence report and sentence on February 5.

Dillon Jay Demchy, 17, dairy worker, Temuka; sustained loss of traction — fined $400 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Arron Michael Emmerson, 31, engineer, Timaru; sustained loss of traction — fined $300 and disqualified for six months.

Graeme Denis Walker, 32, labourer, Geraldine; operated a motor vehicle not fitted with a distance recorder as required; drove a motor vehicle without the appropriate licence, using a motor vehicle when a current licence for the vehicle had not been issued, operated a vehicle on which a distance licence was not carried, and operated a vehicle not displaying current evidence of vehicle inspection — fined $100 on each charge.

Norman Malcolm John Roberts, 61, farmer, Totara Valley; EBA (791mcg) — fined $750 and disqualified from driving for seven months.

Frances Mary Dolan, 65, retired, Pleasant Point; dangerous driving — fined $300; EBA (317mg) — fined $1400, medical fees $132; analysts fees $93 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

Enid Tui Wharepapa, 54, process worker, Timaru; EBA (163mg) — fined $750, disqualified from driving for seven months, medical and analysts fees $277.50.

Laetitia Marie-Pierre Soufflet, 27, assistant manager, Orari; possession of a pipe for smoking cannabis — fined $150; EBA (595mcg) — fined $550 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Ryan Gordon Wilkinson, 17, shepherd; EBA (498mcg) — fined $400 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Jeremy Peter Gourdie, 30, unemployed, St Andrews; driving while suspended — fined $300 and disqualified from driving for six months.

Nigel William Archibald, 18, labourer; driving while suspended — sentenced to 40 hours community work; unpaid fines of $3800 remitted and replaced with an additional sentence of 80 hours community work.

Daniel O’Keefe, 36, freezing worker, Geraldine; assault — convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within six months.

Deborah Maree O’Keefe, 37, mother, Geraldine; assault — convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within six months.

A 24-year-old South Canterbury labourer was sentenced to supervision on a charge of assault. The man’s name was suppressed to protect the identity of the complainant.

David John Brooking, 36, builder, Queenstown; breach of a protection order — convicted and remanded to February 11 for presentence report and sentence.

Amanda Nicole Saunders, 25, unemployed, Rangiora; providing false details (two charges) and driving while licence suspended (two charges) — convicted and discharged on false details charges and sentenced to 12 months supervision and disqualified from driving for 12 months on driving charges.

Selena Melanie Kohey, 17, Timaru; assault — convicted and discharged.

Gerard Andrew Bubbert, 20, unemployed, Timaru; behaved in a threatening manner likely to cause violence to start — convicted and remanded to February 8 for presentence report and sentence.

Jeremy James Van Turnhout, 30, unemployed; threatening behaviour — convicted and remanded to January 23 for probation report and sentence,

Justin Patrick Anngow, 31, unemployed, Waimate; intentional damage and assault — ordered to pay reparation of $199.99 and come up for sentence if called upon within six months if called upon.

Kyle Albert McLeod, 18, Timaru; breach of community work — sentenced to 80 hours community work.

Alexander William Gibson, 25, dairy farm worker, Waimate; possession of a firearm without a licence — fined $300.

Samuel Bryce Anglem, 18, unemployed, Timaru; possession of cannabis — possession of a pipe for smoking cannabis — sentenced to 40 hours community work.

Nathan Anthony Hough, 17, labourer, Timaru; possession of cannabis — fined $150.

Blair Peter Hanifin, 24, sales representative, Timaru; fought in a public place — fined $400.

Scott Phillip Lyons, 20, contractor, Ealing; offensive behaviour — fined $300.

Jason Robert Morrison, 20, labourer, Timaru; disorderly behaviour — fined $400.

Legion Piha Karauria, 20, unemployed, Timaru; offensive behaviour — fined $300.

Nathan William Ede, 20, earthmoving operator, Hinds, disorderly behaviour — fined $200.

Craig Eion Miller, 29, builder, Timaru; disorderly behaviour — fined $300.

Joanne Melissa Roberts, 31, unemployed, Timaru; theft — 40 hours community work.

Mark Stephen McNeill, 42, welder, Timaru; disorderly behaviour — fined $400.

Dean Terrance Norman, 17, unemployed, Twizel; breach of liquor ban — fined $200.