One of the city’s most prolific offenders — labelled "a tragedy on legs" by his lawyer — hopes to return to his family in the North Island.
Junior Ben Thompson (44) has been one of the Dunedin District Court’s most frequent visitors since his offending began locally in 2010.
Yesterday, when he appeared before the court again, counsel Rhona Daysh said there was a plan to change his destructive course.
"He wants to go back to his turangawaewae — back into the arms of his mother," she said.
For Thompson that meant a return to the Palmerston North region.
The fact that he was still alive was almost "unbelievable", Ms Daysh told the court.
She catalogued the assortment of issues from which her client suffered: type 2 diabetes, a traumatic brain injury, impaired cognitive functioning, being on anti-psychotic medication, problematic use of cannabis and alcoholism, as well as memory and attention problems.
Thompson had been homeless and drinking alcohol to excess since the age of 14.
"He’s really a tragedy on legs," Ms Daysh said.
"He’s lucky he’s still alive."
Thompson was recently locked up for causing havoc while flagrantly breaching the Level 4 lockdown restrictions.
When he was released on May 11, he had three days to see a Probation officer.
He did not turn up.
On June 8, he added another conviction to his lengthy list.
Seeing the shopkeeper at a Princes St liquor store was away from his desk, Thompson walked in, slipped a litre bottle of bourbon into his satchel and walked out.
He was quickly identified on CCTV.
Before Thompson could be apprehended, however, he was loitering behind a backpackers in Manor Pl.
While a couple of French tourists slept inside their campervan, the defendant opened the unlocked front door and removed a bag, which held several credit cards.
Hours later, he unsuccessfully tried to use one of the cards to buy $36 of goods from a shop and was twice declined when trying to use it at liquor stores.
CCTV again caught him in the act.
Ms Daysh said she would assist Thompson in an application to be transferred north from the Otago Corrections Facility so he could be released to the support of his family.
Judge Turrner sentenced him to 16 months’ imprisonment.
"I hope that it is successful and you accept the support that’s available to you," he said.
"Don’t take offence, but I hope I don’t see you back here."
