Plea from basher brings sentence reduction
A judge was moved by an impassioned plea from a young offender who wants to be “a better dad, a better son” and get on with his life.
“I am asking for a chance to prove I am not all sh–, not only for me but for my young fellow,” said Pierce Michael Harrison, 23, who had admitted bashing a bus driver unconscious.
He has been in custody for six months, and he has not been idle, Christchurch District Court Judge Jane Farish noted at his sentencing. Certificates were handed up showing the work he had being doing in prison.
Harrison was the third offender to be jailed for the attack at New Brighton that left the bus driver unconscious and with the money gone from his cash drawer. The driver, an emigrant, has since given up on New Zealand and returned to Iran.
Harrison admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous harm, theft, trespass, and breach of prison release conditions.
He accepted that he could not get home detention, but he commented, “Choice”, when Judge Farish allowed an additional reduction on his prison sentence and jailed him for two years three months.
It means he could be before the Parole Board before Christmas because of the time he has already served. He might be released into a residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation programme in Auckland, the city where his parents live. He would also have a job with an uncle.
“There are really strong prospects here for rehabilitation,” said the judge. “If you continue with the work you have been doing in jail, I imagine you will have a favourable response from the board.”
Defence counsel Andrew McKenzie said frustration about making no progress had led to Harrison appearing aggressive at his pre-sentence interview.
The incident had led to positive family relationships being restored. He had support from his parents, who were “good folk” living in Auckland.
“He’s very keen to move on. He is trying to get help, be a better dad, be a better son, and make sure he is never before the court for violence again,” Mr McKenzie said. The offending was symptomatic of the drifting lifestyle involving drugs and alcohol that Harrison had been living at the time.
Harrison said he now acknowledged his problem, and why he had been playing up, and wanted the chance to attend a residential rehabilitation programme.
“It is worth me taking control of my life, and anything worth doing is never easy. I am trying hard to rehabilitate myself,” he told the court.
Two other offenders have already been sentenced. One was jailed for two years nine months, and the other for 18 months.
Category: News
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