Teen thief escapes jail sentence

A 17-year-old who had been drunk when he punched a younger boy on a Whangarei street - all for a pair of shoes - has narrowly escaped a prison sentence.
Bunny Wellington, who was before the courts for the first time, was yesterday sentenced in Whangarei to 280 hours community work, having pleaded guilty to robbery on March 3.
He had been at a party and got drunk for the first time shortly before he committed the crime, the court heard. He had left the party in Kamo and was riding his bike along Grant St about 10.30pm when he saw a 14-year-old boy walking with a friend. They had also been at the party.
Wellington had got off the bike, stood in front of the boy and punched him twice in the head. The boy had fallen to the ground where Wellington punched him again before stealing his shoes.
The next day he sold the shoes for $20 - they had been valued at $160. When questioned later by police, he said he had been very intoxicated and was unsure why he did it. He also said he was "very remorseful".
Wellington's lawyer, John Day, conceded a sentence of imprisonment was open to the court. The victim had also been to the party and had also been drunk but had the right to walk down the street without being attacked, Mr Day said. "This is street thuggery, perhaps on a small scale. It won't be condoned, has to be deterred and will be denounced."
His client had never drunk alcohol before that night, he said.
"He is a very frightened young boy, very scared as to what might happen to him (at sentencing)."
Judge Keith de Ridder told Wellington, now 18, the victim's father had noticed a change in his son since the attack. "He has become angry and doesn't seem to be able to let out his feelings about what happened. It's making life at home stressful for everyone," the father said in a victim impact statement.
Wellington was spared a prison sentence because he was a first-time offender, had shown obvious remorse, was still young, had pleaded guilty at an early stage and was deemed by probation officers to be at low risk of re-offending.
"You appear to have some worthwhile qualities that can be fostered and encouraged. You are working and involved in sport."
The judge also said: "You couldn't have gone any closer to receiving a period of imprisonment."
• Two youths were due in court today after a 95-year-old woman was attacked and knocked to the ground at Flaxmere, near Hastings, on Sunday - for a loaf of bread and about $2 in her purse. The victim, Elsie Jones, sustained cuts to her hands and arms when she fell to the pavement but said "larrikins" would not stop her going out.