A man who burgled two of his childhood homes to fuel his methamphetamine habit has narrowly avoided a prison term.
Jadin Pepene Hadfield-Leonard (20) had been subject to sentences of the court since 2014, Judge Kevin Phillips said yesterday.
While he was reluctant to hand the defendant a community-based sentence, he said time behind bars might effectively end any chance of a productive life.
''I don't think you need much further education in criminality but I hesitate to sentence [a person so young] back into prison for a reasonably lengthy period of time, because when you come out all hope would have gone,'' he said.
Hadfield-Leonard was sentenced to eight months' home detention.
The judge said the deciding factor was the support the defendant enjoyed from the Rev Mark Chamberlain, of the Holy Name parish.
He said the man was taking a ''major risk'' to assist the defendant, who had recently enrolled in a foundation studies course at university.
Hadfield-Leonard was initially arrested for wheel spinning and performing donuts in a Geraldine car park, which caused gravel to be propelled at a nearby business in October.
His most serious offending came while on bail in February.
Hadfield-Leonard returned to a childhood home also in Geraldine. The owner had allowed the defendant's family to live there when they were struggling, but his good will did not deter Hadfield-Leonard.
He sneaked into the property through a garage door while a woman and her children slept.
The male resident was out rabbit hunting but had left his gun cabinet open.
Hadfield-Leonard made off with a shotgun and air rifle, and swiped cash from an unlocked vehicle.
Later that night, he visited another former home on Cox St, where he stole a Subaru, which he drove to Christchurch.
Fingerprint analysis of the vehicle put the defendant in the frame.
Judge Phillips said the constant offending meant he was sceptical of what Hadfield-Leonard told the court.
''You stand in the dock saying you can pay reparation and you are remorseful. I don't believe you are,'' he said.
''You have been given rehabilitation and intervention and you have rejected every one of them ... When it gets hard you give up.''
The firearms had not been recovered, the court heard.
The judge said Hadfield-Leonard was only concerned with stealing items he could sell to feed his drug addiction, and did not care about the consequences.
He was convicted of three counts of wilful damage, two of burglary, two driving charges, unlawfully being in a building, breaching release conditions and breaching court bail.
As well as the home-detention term, the defendant was sentenced to 200 hours' community work and disqualified from driving for nine months.
He was ordered to pay reparation of $5486.
