A tattooed offender who beat up a former friend has been given a rehabilitative sentence by a judge who urged "don’t blow it".
Zane Ray Collins (22) appeared in the Invercargill District Court recently after pleading guilty to demanding with menaces, wilful damage and threatening to injure.
Judge Duncan Harvey said "my worry is that the offences will become more and more serious".
"I suspect that spending a bit of time in prison will not mean anything to Mr Collins.
"If you leave the prison [from being on remand] thinking you’ve fooled a judge and he’s just a silly old man, then we will see you here again soon," Judge Harvey told the defendant.
Collins has a swastika tattooed on his cheek and MMM across his forehead.
"Apart from his convictions, he has not made life easier for himself given the facial tattoos he now has," the judge said.
The charges were laid after events on January 4 when the defendant saw an old friend walking in the South City Mall carpark and invited him to his car.
The victim got into a back seat and they drove down Elles Rd.
They discussed drug use and Collins reached over to pull up the victim’s sleeve and looked for track marks from needles.
Collins then punched the man in the head causing his nose to bleed.
He picked up a knife and pointed it at the man’s rib-cage, demanding that he empty his pockets.
The victim took out a lighter, headphones and his phone and placed them on the car seat.
Collins put the knife away and punched his old friend in the face again.
The lighter and headphones were not recovered.
The court heard Collins had been in custody since February.
After delivering his sentence Judge Harvey told Collins "there’s your chance, don’t blow it".
