A man who forced a lockdown at Medbury School after he was being sought for an armed robbery of the Ilam Mobil Service Station nearby was sentenced in the Christchurch District Court.
Twenty-year-old Nico Wiremu robbed the Creyke Road service station of $250 cash while armed with a firearm about 1.50pm on September 8.
One of the parents alerted the school to the aggravated robbery and they kept pupils inside the grounds for 30 minutes until the police advised it was safe for them to leave.
Wiremu was also sentenced for possession of the class C controlled drug benzylpiperazine, previously sold as party pills before they were banned, theft, unlawfully taking a car, and drunk and dangerous driving.
Defence counsel Linda Drummond said the victim impact report said it was a traumatising experience for the victim of the aggravated robbery, who was in court for the sentencing.
She said Wiremu had begun treatment in prison for his issues with drugs and alcohol.
Judge Raoul Neave said that on July 3 Wiremu stole a camera, amplifier, and money from a house he was working in.
While on bail for that charge, on July 19, while drunk, he took his mother’s car and lost control of it.
On September 8 he pointed an air pistol at the sole attendant of the service station, and demanded money. He was given about $250, and walked away.
Wiremu’s pre-sentence report said he didn’t remember some of the things he had done because he was so drunk, but Judge Neave said that no matter how drunk Wiremu was, he should still know what was right or wrong.
He said Wiremu was assessed as a high risk of re-offending, and sentenced him to three years four months prison, and disqualified him from driving for six months.
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