A Northland teenager forced to drop out of university after losing an eye in a drive-by attack said she had been "sentenced to life" and wants all responsible for the crime to suffer the same fate.
The 19-year-old was with a group of friends from Waipu and One Tree Point areas waiting for a taxi in central Whangarei when they were shot at with a paintball gun by Shane Paraha, who was in a moving vehicle, in an act of revenge.
Up to 10 rounds were shot.
Paraha, 19, admitted his actions and was yesterday sentenced by the Whangarei District Court to 25 months in jail.
He earlier pleaded guilty to one charge of reckless disregard causing grievous bodily harm and five charges of assault with a weapon.
The shooting happened on the corner of Bank and Water Sts when the group was waiting for a taxi after coming out of a bar about 2am on December 18 last year.
Members of the group earlier became involved in a verbal fight with three males, including Paraha, who then formed a plan to extract revenge.
Five people suffered bruising and a welt after being shot at in the upper body while a female was struck in her left eye.
Her mother spoke about the effect Paraha's actions have had on her during a night out with friends.
Her daughter was studying at the Auckland University of Technology to become a physical education teacher but had been forced to drop out after the incident as she could no longer read properly.
"The reality is she's suffering from post traumatic stress and the doctors' appointments have been disappointing with no improvements in her eye. Her whole life has changed," her mother said.
"What has happened now means she has to be medically approved before she can do certain things. It's a reality she wakes up to every single day."
She said her daughter had had a happy lifestyle in Auckland and returned home at the end of last year to be with friends for summer.
On Paraha's sentencing, she said he would be out in less than 25 months but her daughter's life has been ruined.
In court, Judge John McDonald said Paraha's actions had been planned and deliberate, and had resulted in terrible consequences for one young woman.
Recently, he said the woman had suffered a panic attack after a car backfired.
She said in her victim impact statement that she hAD suffered a "life sentence" and wondered what action would be taken against Paraha and others responsible.
"Another young woman who was in the group wrote in her victim impact statement she felt ashamed of Whangarei. The city is such a group of university friends cannot go out at night without being attacked," Judge McDonald said.
Paraha's lawyer, Nick Leader, said his client pleaded guilty, showed remorse by offering to attend restorative justice which the victims declined, and had the ability to pay for emotional harm.
"It's a classic case of a young man who didn't think through what he was doing. He accepts the stupidity of his actions."
But police prosecutor Sergeant Barry Iggo said it was not a spur-of-the-moment attack but a deliberate act with shots aimed at the upper body.
He submitted an end sentence of 27 months was appropriate.