A man who tried to steal a "hypothetical sheep" was sentenced in Whanganui District Court on Tuesday.
Jake Akuhata Nicholson initially appeared on a charge of unlawful hunting, but later pleaded guilty to an amended charge of attempted theft for the July 22 offending.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Rachel Willemsen said the "hypothetical sheep" was valued at about $120.
Nicholson and two friends drove at night to Brunswick Rd with a tarpaulin laid out in the back of Nicholson's vehicle. They also had hunting knives, torches and a meat hook.
They left the vehicle and police discovered it, and began making inquiries as to the vehicle's ownership, given the equipment in the back.
Police came across Nicholson and his friends, who admitted they had gone out to "hunt sheep and get meat".
Defence lawyer Jamie Waugh said the other two people were dealt with by way of a pre-charge warning and said the offending was "an attempt at the very lowest level".
Nicholson worked as a possum trapper, he said.
Judge Dugald Matheson said farmers needed to be protected from Nicholson going to the outskirts of town to help himself to sheep.
"The enterprise you have engaged in is of some concern to this community," he said.
He sentenced him to 50 hours of community work.