Earning big dollars in Australian mines had led to the demise of many, a judge said in court yesterday.
Adam Joseph Batchelor (39), of Bluff, yesterday appeared in court on two charges of possession of firearms, one of receiving a firearm and possession of explosives (all jointly charged with others) and theft of $6731 of goods from Rebel Sports, H&J Smith Ltd, Hammer Hardware and Mitre 10 Mega.
He was also charged with failing to stop for police and refusing a breath alcohol test.
The offending took place in Invercargill between November 2021 and November 2022.
At his sentencing before Judge John Brandts-Giesen in the Invercargill District Court yesterday, Batchelor said he had been a law-abiding citizen before these charges.
Batchelor had spent 20 years working in mines in Australia.
"They go there to earn big money. Sadly they don’t make it because they blow it on alcohol or blow it on methamphetamine," Judge Brandts-Giesen said.
"That appears to be what you have done. You’ve got issues you need to deal with," he said.
Batchelor’s lawyer John Fraser said his client’s punitive sentence had largely been dealt with as he had spent four months in prison while on remand — equivalent to an eight-month prison sentence.
"If more is needed, home detention will be sufficient."
Judge Brandts-Giesen agreed and sentenced Batchelor to three months’ home detention, disqualified him from driving for six months (backdated to June last year) and ordered him to pay reparation of $3000.
While the amount was more than $3000 short of the worth of stolen goods, he needed to be realistic about Batchelor’s ability to pay the money back, Judge Brandts-Giesen said.
