Young man ‘wasting his life and efforts’

Press, 3 August 1985, Page 5

Young man ‘wasting his life and efforts’

It was “deeply distressing” to see a young Maori man wasting his life and

efforts in a way that required the Court to consider putting him into custody, said Mr Justice Heron in the High Court yesterday when he sentenced a member of the Black Power gang to six months jail on a charge of aggravated robbery. Andrew Daniels, aged 17, unemployed (Mr A. N. D. Garrett), had pleaded guilty last month to a charge of robbing, with a knife, Brent John Rossiter, a garden labourer, of his leather boots, valued at $BO, in his home on April 7. Three other persons had been charged jointly with the offence but had been discharged because of insufficient evidence. They were also members of the Black Power gang.

Mr Garrett said that Daniels was the only one of the four to be sentenced, yet the other three were older and more experienced members of the gang. Mr Garrett said that Daniels’ association with the gang was a continuing one and a long, custodial sentence would be likely to promote his standing in the gang. No injuries had been inflicted on the complainant, he said. His Honour said that the incident need not have happened but for liquor and drugs in which Daniels had indulged.

“You are 17. You are a Maori. You have got a list of offending which is long when one takes into account it started when you were 15. Now we have this offence, a serious one and involving a

degree of violence,” said his Honour. Daniels’ loyalties lay in membership of a gang and that in itself was not bad provided the activities were lawful, “and of course often they are not.” It was deeply distressing to see a young Maori man wasting his life and efforts in a way that required the Court to consider putting him into custody. “You join, if you go to prison, many of your number and the Court must be reluctant to sentence a person of your age to prison,” said his Honour. “Perhaps it will have some shock effect on your behaviour. That really depends on you, Daniels,” said his Honour.

Mr R. E. Neave appeared for the Crown.