Youth sent to jail

Press, 26 June 1987, Page 4

Youth sent to jail

A young man was told by Judge Hay in the District Court yesterday that he was getting a very bad record for dishonesty and violence.

The defendant, John David Schuster, aged 17, an unemployed labourer, was given concurrent terms of a year’s imprisonment for a house burglary committed in Timaru, and for demanding with menaces a jacket worn by a youth, aged 15, in the Wizards games parlour in Gloucester Street.

On a charge of committing a breach of periodic detention, he was given a concurrent two-months prison term.

Schuster was convicted of demanding the jacket

with menaces, after a defended hearing yesterday, and was then sentenced on this and the other charges. Evidence in relation to his taking the jacket was that he and two other men, stood alongside and behind the youth while he was at a game machine. Schuster asked the youth for his vinyl jacket, valued at $80 to $100. The youth declined at first, but gave it to Schuster when again asked because he. was “not going to argue” with the three men surrounding him. Schuster was seen by the police in the vicinity, but the jacket- was not found.

No defence evidence was called.

His counsel, Ms D. E. Shirtcliffe, submitted in relation to the breach of periodic detention charge that Schuster had completed seven of the eight months of this sentence and had then suffered Injury through falling through a plate glass window.

He had failed to obtain a medical certificate.

Ms Shirtcliffe said Schuster had work available at Cave, South Canterbury. . The Judge said Schuster had every opportunity after past offences, but had not taken advantage of these. .

He said he tobk a grave view of the offences.