Sentencing for possession of improvised shotgun
A Kaiapoi man found with an improvised firearm and medical gear stolen from a midwife’s car has been given a sentence of community detention and intensive supervision.
An oxygen cylinder stolen from a midwife’s vehicle was found in his wardrobe, and other medical supplies taken from the car were found in a hot water cupboard during a search of his home in March.
Police also found a home-made pipe gun which was capable of firing shotgun cartridges, ammunition, and two methamphetamine pipes at 25-year-old Michael Peter Van Slooten’s address.
In another incident van Slooten was unlawfully on a property, and pleaded guilty to that charge at the Christchurch District Court.
Police prosecutor Chris Hunt said he had been driven in a car – previously stolen in a burglary – to the driveway of a house in Dyers Pass Road. The car’s driver got out and threw a brick through a window, alerting the householder who came out and tried to catch the pair. Van Slooten was tracked and caught by a police dog.
Judge Tony Couch said that van Slooten’s pre-sentence report recommended community detention and intensive supervision.
He said van Slooten’s parents were very supportive of him, and he was starting a rehabilitation course soon.
Judge Couch was sentencing van Slooten on five charges, and said he had little criminal history, and these offences were a serious change in his behaviour.
He said the offending related to alcohol and drugs, but van Slooten was motivated to address those issues.
He sentenced van Slooten to four months community detention with a curfew, and intensive supervision for 12 months with special conditions.
He also ordered the destruction of the pistol and ammunition.
Category: Focus
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