Youths killed sheep after club drinking

Press, 18 April 1979, Page 15

Youths killed sheep after club drinking

PA Hamilton Mr A. J. Ryan, S.M., had harsh words on Thursday for sports clubs that supplied 15-year-olds with liquor on club training nights. The Magistrate was sentencing three youths who had gone to the Cambridge saleyards after drinking at a football club session and had herded and bludgeoned 29 sheep. Terry le Huia, aged IF, and two unemployed youths aged 15, whose names were suppressed under the Children and Young Persons Act, were each sentenced in the Magistrate's Court at Cambridge, to detention centre training. This was to be followed by 15 months probation fori which the Magistrate laiddown special conditions. The youths were also ordered to'

pay .510/ each in compensation. The defendants were originally charged with cruelly ; to animals with intent. but' after an agreement between defence counsel and thepolice this was amended to: cruelty only. The charges were admitted by all three. However, the Magistrate, said the facts of the matterseemed more than substan--1 tial to prove the original charges. They needed repeat- , ing. Late in the evening of February 27, the trio had gone to the Cambridge saleyards and set about harass- ■ ing sheep. Initially two of these animals were bludgieoned to death with a ! wooden fence batten. They had then set about; i herding up the rest and; (“each playing a separate’ .role, but in concert with thei 'others” bludgeoned a num-!

ber ut others with a meta! bar. “Twenty-six lambs and three ewes had to be destroyed as a result of this : wanton savagery,” . the Magistrate said. The defendants had been drinking at a local football club training-night session .before the offences. This ishowed an alarming state of affairs that liquor should be sold to 15-year-olds. While it was mistakenly assumed to be manly to: drink, so often the consequences were the complete opposite of manliness. The Magistrate urged the police to be vigilant in con-, trolling liquor sales at I ‘sports clubs. For Te Huia, counsel (Mr! M. Osmond) said his client had a drinking problem and had volunteered to go to Hanmer Springs Hospital tor i treatment. A detention centre would not be conducive to' rehabilitation he said.

For one of the 15-year-j, olds, counsel iMr/i McGill)' said his d'cnt was not the* instigator and had started) towards rehabilitation with! his involvement in a Chris-' tian youth group. Foi the third youth, coun-l sei (Mr B. Z. Grandfield)! said ,iis client had not the! ability and age to find work! and wa. easily led. The Magistrate said he! (would be railing in his duty: Ito the comn.unity not to im-l |pose deterrent sentences.