A man who failed to engage in any previous community service has been given a final chance to serve home detention and get his life back on track.
Tony Mackenzie, a 43-year-old Eketahuna-based mechanic, appeared in Masterton District Court yesterday facing charges of driving while on a disqualified license.
Having already been convicted of driving while disqualified on two previous occasions, Mackenzie was disqualified from driving for six months in March last year.
Four months later, while sitting in the driver’s seat of a stationary car in Paraparaumu, he supplied false details to police and proceeded to drive off.
After the constable who spoke to him realised he had been duped, he located Mackenzie on the Kapiti expressway, where the vehicle he was driving had run out of gas.
Later in July, Mackenzie was again found driving while disqualified when he was stopped during routine traffic checks in Wainuiomata.
He was also facing charges of breaching community work and intensive supervision. “His compliance with any community-based sentence has been literally abysmal. He has failed every single one,” a probation officer told the court.
“When given community work, he doesn’t do it. He’s never explained to me why he doesn’t do community work.”
Mackenzie had 200 hours of community work to complete, and the probation service had no faith that he would engage, the court heard.
When asked by Judge Barbara Morris why he didn’t do community work, Mackenzie didn’t provide a coherent response.
“If I adjourn this, will you do community work or would you prefer to go to prison?” asked Morris.
“I honestly don’t know, I’ll do the community work, or whatever,” Mackenzie said.
Mackenzie’s lawyer Ian Hard urged Morris for a sentence that allowed Mackenzie to “usefully engage in work again”.
“He’s keen to normalise his life,” Hard said.
“There’s a welding course in Christchurch in February he wants to enrol in.”
Police confirmed that Mackenzie hadn’t received a driving infringement since 2021.
Morris set aside existing fines of $8000 and sentenced Mackenzie to two months of home detention.
She said this sentence was to help him get on the road, literally.
“This enables you to head down south in February. I’ll remit all fines and no disqualifications,” Morris said.
“This is as good as it gets. Do this sentence, stay clear of court, and don’t come back.”
