October 07, 2008

Mother jailed for more burglaries while on supervision

By Anne Clarkson

A 21-year-old burglar?s intensive supervision sentence has become an 18-month prison term after she reoffended.

Nga Peta Tawha, of Aranui, had used her 12-year-old niece as a get-away driver after an Avonhead burglary where she stole a handbag.

The driver was under-age and Tawha?s two daughters were in the back seat.

She was given a 15-month intensive supervision sentence in July but was back before the court today on three more burglary charges and one charge of receiving stolen property.

Defence counsel David Ruth acknowledged that prison was now the only option and reparation was a forlorn hope. The pre-sentence report was against home detention.

Judge Fred McElrea was handed letters of apology that Tawha had written to the three burglary victims. But he said the remorse was ?not particularly compelling when no reparation would be coming?.

Jailing her for 18-months, he said a reparation order would be unrealistic.

He also noted that she had a significant history of offending and had already been held in custody for some time.