Jail for attack on solo mum

Levi Tali sobbed in court as he was sentenced to five years and seven months. Photo / APN

An attack on a solo mother inside her house yielded Levi Evan Tali a mere $10 for which the Ruakaka teenager will spend a lengthy time in jail.

The 17-year-old was yesterday sentenced by Whangarei District Court to five years and seven months behind bars after he earlier admitted aggravated burglary, aggravated robbery and indecent assault.

The Crown withdrew a further charge of attempting to commit sexual violence.

Tali cried throughout his appearance.

The charges follow an incident in Ruakaka in the early hours of June 7 when he, disguised in a bandanna and armed with a knife, climbed into a house through an open window and confronted a woman.

Her 5-year-old daughter was sleeping in another room.

During the struggle, the woman was indecently assaulted. In the scuffle, she injured an index finger that required surgery.

She handed over $10 to Tali before he fled.

In her victim impact statement, the woman said the attack forced her to move out of the house and out of Northland.

Looking at her house in Ruakaka, she said memories of the attack came flooding back.

Her daughter woke up during the attack but she couldn't go to her. The child was found hiding under a blanket in fear.

Crown prosecutor David Stevens said the aggravating features were the use of a weapon, violence and the extent of injury and harm to the victim.

There was a degree of pre-meditation as Tali was carrying a knife and wore a bandanna during the home invasion, he submitted.

Tali's lawyer Wiremu Puriri said it was a case of a young, naive man who lacked maturity.

He urged Judge Duncan Harvey not to impose a "crushing" sentence that could impact on his rehabilitation.

The judge said Tali had been a member of the Headhunters gang, a regular user of cannabis and had also admitted using methamphetamine in the past.

Judge Harvey said Tali had displayed limited insight into his offending and on the charge of indecent assault, he claimed the victim had made it all up.

His drugs and alcohol abuse and issues around sexual deviancy must be addressed if there were to be any prospect of rehabilitating him, the judge said.