Boy gaoled for murder attempt

Press, 16 September 1976, Page 7

Boy gaoled for murder attempt

PA Auckland A 15-year-old boy has been sentenced to five years gaol, for what Mr Justice Chilwill said was a cold blooded attempt to kill a policeman. The youth had been found guilty of attempted murder. The charge related to an incident at Orams Road, Manurewa, last April, in which a policeman was shot in the leg. His Honour told the youth:

“There is no need to stress the seriousness of what you did, as the facts speak for themselves. “This was a cold blooded attempt to kill a policeman acting in the course of his duty.” Fie said the youth had shot at a police officer who had had the presence of mind to throw himself to the floor of his car behind the engine. His Honour said the constable was fortunate to be. alive. Had he not thrown himself to the floor, the youth might well have faced murder charges.

It was a very real problem what to do with a 15-year-old boy. He had been acting as dangerously as any adult. But it was not in the interests of justice, or the boy’s rehabilitation, to sentence him to seven years, a term which an adult would have received. “Your age saves you from seven years,” he said. His Honour referred to the evidence of a docto-, who had said the youth was legally responsible and aware of his actions at the time, and who felt the youth had been acting out a shooting of the type not uncommonly seen on television.

The youth was also sentenced to six months imprisonment on a charge of

escaping from custody, 18 months for wilful damage, nine months for the unlawful possession of a firearm, one year each on three counts of burglary and 21 months on two charges of car conversion.

These terms were concurrent with the charge of attempted murder. The youth’s counsel (Mr R. R. Ladd) said he had been in trouble with his parents a week before the incident. He and his companion had planned to go into the bush once they had escaped from custody.