‘Gross error’ in choosing friend

Press, 26 February 1987, Page 18

‘Gross error’ in choosing friend

A youth who appeared for sentence in the District Court yesterday for being involved in 14 thefts of property from two rental mini-buses and four cars last July 19 was told by Judge Hobbs that choosing one’s friends was probably the most important judgment that persons of his age could make.

In this case he had made a very gross' error of judgment. The defendant, David Matthew Crichton, aged 18, an unemployed baker, was sentenced to do 120 hours of community work for the 14 thefts, which were committed with another youth, Anthony Carl Towers, aged 18, in the Queen Elizabeth II carpark and other parts of New Brighton. Crichton was also disqualified from driving for three months. He had been found guilty by jury at his trial in the District Court earlier this month on the 14 charges, which in-

volved the theft of clothing, sports equipment and other property worth $6853. Most of the property was from nine pupils and two teachers of Kuranui College, Marton, in Christchurch for a girls’ hockey tournament, whose hired mini-buses were broken into in Queen Elizabeth II Park car-park. Crichton, who had driven the car in which Towers rode, was charged as being a party to the 14 - thefts. His counsel, Mr B. P. Callaghan, yesterday sought a sentence of community service or periodic detention. He submitted that to a very large extent Crichton was under the Influence of Towers, who. was more experienced in offending. Crichton maintained he got involved without really knowing what to do; having got involved he found it very hard to get out of.