A man who completed two tours of duty robbed a man of his wallet after becoming addicted to anabolic steroids.
Judge Walker said Williams robbed the man of his wallet after he paid him $300 for prescription medicine which he never received.
"You believe the victim spent that on illicit drugs and you wanted the money returned."
At the time Williams was taking cannabis, anabolic steroids and tramadol.
Williams’ lawyer, Scott Williamson, said this was a situation where the impact of serving his country in a dangerous manner had a detrimental impact on Williams.
He started taking anabolic steroids after taking up weightlifting.
Judge Walker said the need for buying drugs had put Williams into contact with people he would not normally associate with.
"It was almost inevitable sooner or later, you would find yourself in a situation such as this," he said.
While the New Zealand Defence Force had provided a reference about Williams’ character saying veterans facing reintegration could struggle, the letter also referred to what was expected of its employees.
Judge Walker sentenced Williams to five months’ community detention and 12 months’ supervision. He was convicted and discharged on the two drug charges.
"It’s clear to me you need to change tack. The track you have been on is likely to bring you back before the court if you don’t treat this as a turning point," he said.
- A woman also jointly charged in the robbery was discharged without conviction. She was granted final name suppression.
