A Wairau man who helped to steal a car belonging to an elderly Blenheim couple has been sentenced to community work and ordered to pay reparation.
George Patrick Mason, 21, admitted taking a motor vehicle and was sentenced to 140 hours' community work and nine months' supervision and ordered to pay $500 as his share of the reparation when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.
Judge John Walker said Mason and an associate removed the car's engine on February 28. The rest of the car has never been found.
The car was the primary mode of transport for the elderly couple, and their insurance payout was unlikely to be enough to let them buy another one, he said.
Defence lawyer Luke Radich said Mason had gone through a "bad patch" and the offending was part of a three-month stint which he described as "self-destructive".
At the time, Mason was unemployed and had lost his benefit, but he had since found a job on a dairy farm, Mr Radich said.
Mason had apologised to the couple in person and had given them money and venison as a gift.
The Marlborough Express
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