Two fathers of young children have been jailed for their “inexplicable” shop robberies.
“Both young men are capable of so much more,” said Christchurch District Court Judge Jane Farish. “They are so much more capable than being ‘just another young Maori offender’.”
Tainui Smith, 23, the Aranui father of two children, who had his partner supporting him at his sentencing, was jailed for three years one month for the February 8 robbery of the Beachcomber Dairy, in New Brighton Road.
Jayden Peta Brown, 24, the father of a young son, was jailed for four years one month for that robbery, and an earlier robbery of a St Albans liquor shop, as well as driving with excess breath-alcohol, and driving while his licence was suspended. He was also disqualified from driving for six months.
Neither have any previous offences, and were remorseful for their robberies. Judge Farish described their behaviour as inexplicable.
Defence counsel Kiran Paima said Smith “feels he has messed up his life”. He spoke of the “desensitisation” of young people exposed to videos and computer games. Smith was a family man, who had accepted his responsibility for the offending quickly. The robbery decision had been made under the influence of alcohol, but that was not offered as an excuse.
Andrew McCormick, defence counsel for Brown, said his client acknowledged the harm he had caused and wanted him to apologise to the victims. At the time he had been short of money, and his life had been disrupted by being separated from his partner.
Judge Farish noted that a cultural report had been prepared for Brown ahead of the sentencing. It spoke of his disadvantaged upbringing, characterised by instability. It made it clear that he now needed to reconnect with his whanau and his heritage, because he had become isolated.
He wanted to study for an accountancy qualification and that might now be possible during his prison sentence.
Brown had used an imitation pistol in his liquor store robbery, by himself, on January 15. He took about $500 in cash.
Smith had a pistol that he used “for shooting birds” when the pair went to the dairy. The dairy owner and her elderly mother saw them enter on security camera and were going out the back door when Smith pointed the weapon at them.
Judge Farish said the women not only felt they had been robbed of money and cigarettes – more than $2000 worth of uninsured loss which the robbers won’t be able to repay – but they felt they had been robbed of their feeling of security and wellbeing.
Family supporters for both men were present in court for their sentencing.
