However, Judge Clark wasn’t as generous this time.
In court on Wednesday, she took a starting point of 10 years and four months, telling him that was “about half of your life”, before jailing him for five years and two months.
‘Rotorua, Hamilton, and then New Plymouth’
Faulkner was never alone when committing his crimes.
It began in Rotorua, on December 8 last year, when a car was stolen sometime between 7pm and 9pm.
Forty minutes later, that car, which had Faulkner and three others in it, pulled up outside Liquor Hutt.
The manager and two customers were in the store.
The manager noticed masked people running towards the shop and tried to hold the door shut, but the group forced their way inside.
He fled to the office area and locked himself inside, while the customers retreated to the back of the shop.
Faulkner and one other were carrying tyre irons.
The now 20-year-old tried unsuccessfully to kick the office door open, as his co-offenders fleeced cigarettes, alcohol, and the till.
Two days later, a Mazda was stolen, and about 8pm, Faulkner and two others drove to Thirsty Liquor.
Faulkner was armed with a pole.
The shopkeeper was behind the counter, and when he saw the masked group running, he tried to shut the door, but the trio kicked it open.
They demanded the keys to the cigarette cabinet, but because they couldn’t open it, they forced the shopkeeper to do it.
They emptied the cabinet of its contents and fled.
On December 14, they used another stolen car to head to the Selwyn Heights Four Square.
Faulkner and two others, one of whom had a hammer, drove it to the Selwyn Heights Four Square.
There were customers inside, along with a staff member, who noticed the masked group of three running in.
A shop attendant and one customer ran into a back room, but a staff member, who was serving a customer, was stuck.
She tried to walk away, but Faulkner grabbed her arm, pulling her towards the till and demanded that she open it.
The till was taken and the cigarette cabinet was emptied, and the group fled.
Then, in Hamilton, Faulkner and an associate were at a house party.
His co-offender allegedly made comments about “slicing someone up” and waving a machete around while Faulkner was armed with a knife.
The pair approached three victims and demanded their phones.
The co-offender grabbed it, and Faulkner asked for the passcode.
The victims ran outside in the hope of getting away, but were chased by the pair.
The co-offender demanded the shoes off two victims, along with a jersey.
Another victim then yelled out, “Run!” and they did, and hid at a neighbouring property.
Faulkner and two others were in New Plymouth on December 19 and used a stolen car to drive to Super Liquor where they smashed their way inside using a tyre iron and stole property.
They then went to a dairy, kicked the door open, and went to the tobacco cabinet, but fled after the fog cannon was activated.
‘I’m not listening to anyone’s bulls**t any more’
Counsel Jared Bell said Faulkner was “still young and is still labouring under the difficulties of those formative years”.
The judge spoke to him about his rehabilitation.
Faulkner said being a young person on remand at Spring Hill, there were only a certain number of programmes that he could do.
One included the six-week Butterbean Motivation course.
Asked what he saw for himself in the future, Faulkner replied, “a better future with family”.
He was also now medicated for his ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder).
“It’s going all right. I’m able to focus more and not listening to anyone else’s bulls**t,” he said.
‘It’s a long time for someone so young’
In assessing discounts, Judge Clark said it was “clear” that there had been “significant” deprivation within his family, and he had issues of abandonment, along with an ADHD diagnosis.
“It’s really, really clear that your formative years were marked by experiences of neglect and trauma.”
She said a five-year two-month jail term was a long time for someone so young.
“That is a long time, and my hope is, Katana, that you will set out as you did on remand.
“I’m hopeful you will be able to do everything that is available to benefit you in the future.
“You are still really young ... you have a good attitude now.”
Crown prosecutor Lexie Glaser sought reparation, and the judge said that while she would have liked to order it, “it’s simply not practical”.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for 10 years and has been a journalist for 21.
