Concerns raised in court terror plot teen 'losing control' of emotions

Christchurch Justice and Emergency Services Precinct. Judge Stephen O'Driscoll gets progress reports every second month on the teenager convicted of plotting a terror attack.

A judge keeping a close eye on a Christchurch teenager convicted for plotting a terror attack is concerned after reports noted he'd started to lose control of his emotions.

But the youth, now 18, who didn't go through with the plan to ram a car into a group of people and then stab them, invited the judge – along with the Crown, police, and court reporters – to a holiday season BBQ and demonstrate how far he's come.

The teen, who was radicalised online and told police he'd "done it for Allah", was sentenced to intensive supervision when he appeared at Christchurch District Court earlier this year.

Court-imposed suppression orders prevent further details from being published, including his name.

He has been coming to court, initially every month and latterly every second month, for Judge Stephen O'Driscoll to get progress reports on his judicial monitoring.

The judge has previously been impressed by his progress. He'd been studying for his NCEA and had gained 12 credits, while even giving golf a try.

But this morning, a report from Community Corrections raised "a couple of negative things".

"You have lost a bit of control of your emotions," Judge O'Driscoll said.

"You need to keep that in check because everyone is doing their best to keep you on track and keep you going forward."

There was also an "incident" with his house-mate, which the teen said had been "sorted".

He vowed to return to his studies, after admitting it had tailed off.

"I haven't been feeling the greatest, but I'll get back into it," he said.

When Judge O'Driscoll asked what he planned to do over the Christmas holiday period, defence counsel Anselm Williams relayed the teen's invitation for a BBQ at his supervised accommodation.

The judge said it would depend on the youth's behaviour, about which he'd get updated reports for the next court monitoring session on December 12.

"No one, including the Crown, will want to attend if you have got into further trouble or things aren't going well."