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NZ Police v CA [2018] NZYC 589

Published 16 August 2019

Sentencing — discharge without conviction — wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm — Oranga Tamariki Act 1989, s 282. The young person appeared for sentencing in relation to a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm. When he was 13 he had been drunk at a party and upon leaving hit an adult over the head with a hammer. The victim impact statement was particularly moving, detailing how the attack had ruined the victim's life. He could no longer write, work or remember many things, yet despite the hardship he faced he did not want to see the young person go to prison. He wanted him to have a second chance and become a useful, law-abiding person. Since the offending, the young person had not re-offended or lapsed back into his lifestyle of drinking and partying. He was performing well on the sports field, had written to the victim and spent time serving homeless people in the community. On the basis of the young person's reform and the victim's wishes, the Judge granted the young person a discharge without conviction, meaning he would have no record of his offending. Judgment Date: 16 October 2018. * * * Note: Names have been changed to comply with legal requirements * * *

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