Diary shows teen getting back on track
Problem teen Benjamin Thomas Tapper-Norris has got a pat on the back from a judge after finally doing what he’s told for his intensive supervision sentence, and also for keeping a diary.
Judge Jane McMeeken ordered the 19-year-old to keep the daily diary for her at a Christchurch District Court session three months ago, because she wanted to know how he was spending his time.
He handed her the diary ahead of a judicial monitoring session yesterday and the judge said it showed he was not doing much, but he is reporting regularly to his probation officer.
After he admitted breaching his sentence – a charge that had been laid earlier, and which he originally disputed – Judge McMeeken told him his diary told an interesting story. At a time when he should be laying down the foundations for his life, he was “not doing a whole lot, really”.
Tapper-Norris explained that he was pursuing his interest in the underground music scene which was difficult at a time when so many of Christchurch’s bars were closed.
The judge said his earlier compliance with the intensive supervision sentence had been “completely abysmal” but he was now co-operating. The probation officer in court told the judge Tapper-Norris was now seeing a young and enthusiastic probation officer who worked very well with youth.
“I don’t want your intensive supervision sentence to be just ‘ticking the boxes’,” the judge told Tapper-Norris. “You have got to be getting on with life and doing something.”
The diary apparently told of Tapper-Norris’ liking for single malt whisky, but the judge pointed out that the drink was expensive, and he would not be tasting much of it unless he got a job.
She convicted and discharged him for the breach of the sentence and ordered another judicial review session for him in a month. If he’s still co-operating at that stage, the review sessions will be lengthened to three-monthly intervals.
He had now found out that he could get himself out of trouble by co-operating, she said.
Tapper-Norris had originally ended up in court on burglary and theft charges but the court process dragged on for months because he failed to come to court, did not turn up for his probation interview, and sentencing had to be delayed. He spent two weeks in custody while all that was happening.
Category: Focus
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