Monday, November 22, 2010

Crime spree lands teenager in prison

Dependency on alcohol drove a Blenheim teenager's spate of burglaries, his defence lawyer said yesterday before the young man was sent to prison.

Kyle Francis Morrison, 18, was sentenced to 16 months' jail on 11 charges of burglary and obtaining by deception.

Morrison was also ordered to pay $2155.70 reparation to his victims.

Defence counsel Gary Sawyer said Morrison was under the influence of alcohol and his associates for most of his offending between March and September.

The proceeds from his burglaries were used to buy alcohol, he said.

Morrison was sentenced in relation to three separate incidents that involved charging items at Repco to another person, stealing an LCD television from a flat he and an associate were looking at renting, stealing diesel, and burglaries involving dinghies at Waikawa Marina.

Mr Sawyer said Morrison did not want to go back to prison after already spending two months remanded in custody.

Morrison "may have burned some bridges" with his parents so did not have anywhere to serve home detention, he said.

He needed to make some attempt to turn his life around before it got worse, Mr Sawyer said.

Judge John Walker said Morrison had a history of breaching community-based sentences and there was "no basis to think it would be any different in the future".

However, Morrison could apply for home detention if he found somewhere to serve it.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:09 23/11/2010

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