Offender has no memory of armed home invasion
A 23-year-old man has virtually no memory of an armed home invasion incident that happened after he used alcohol to wash down at least 10 sleeping tablets.
The victim was traumatised and terrified and thought he was going to die when two armed men broke into his sleep-out, threatened him with weapons and ransacked the room.
Timothy Matthew Booth was appearing in the Christchurch District Court for sentencing on charges of burglary, burglary while armed with a weapon, assault with a weapon, and wilful damage.
Defence counsel Rupert Glover told the court that Booth had written a letter of apology to the victim and had wanted to go through the restorative justice process. “He has exhibited remorse at every turn,” said Mr Glover. “He is more and more determined to get this behind him.”
Booth had admitted an earlier incident in Napier where he broke a window and damaged a car. The woman who lived at the property, who knew Booth, said she had noticed a change in his character after he began drinking and taking illicit drugs.
After another drugs and alcohol session in Christchurch, he and his co-offender broke into the sleep-out in Estuary Road. The co-offender held a knife and a brick.
They threatened the man in the sleep-out, and the co-offender held the knife to his throat. Booth encouraged him to drive the knife through his head with the brick. That was not done, but they ransacked the room.
Booth later handed himself into the police, saying: “I think I have done something really bad.”
Booth arrived at his sentencing with $2000 to pay as reparation for the Christchurch offending, and he was ordered to pay another $922 for the damage he caused at Napier.
Judge Jane Farish noted that he had taken significant steps to rehabilitate himself, and had paid for his own Stopping Violence programme. People had noticed a change to more mature behaviour in the last few months. He was not using drugs and his drinking was at a sensible level.
She said a home detention sentence was in the best interests of Booth and the community, and imposed an eight month term, with special conditions for a further six months, and the reparation order. He will not be allowed to consume alcohol while on home detention. He will have to attend Department of Corrections programmes as required.
Category: News
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