Jail hasn’t worked so judge decides to try drug rehab

Even the judge thought prison was a goer for Zach Creach.

He had been jumping counters at businesses around Wellington and stealing goods and money for several months last year.

Then the judge saw a probation report that recommended intensive supervision in a bid to deal with Creach's addictions problems that had seen him in and out of jail for the last eight years.

Creach would wait until staff were busy or the shop was unattended and either leap the counter or reach over and grab what he could.

It netted him cellphones, money, tablets, handbags and clothing at places like The Brewery Bar, Cambridge Hotel, Southgate Motor Inn and the Curry Pot.

He had pleaded guilty to 18 charges of shoplifting, theft, possession of an offensive weapon and an aggravated assault on police who went to arrest him after he was suspected of having a machete in public.

Wellington District Court judge Ian Mill said on Wednesday he had been considering the sentence and when he saw the probation report he was skeptical.

"But as the report says, you have been in and out of prison for the better part of eight years, doing short terms, then being released without treatment and offending before getting treatment in the community."

He said Creach's rehabilitation was long overdue.

"Prison hasn't worked before. There is no reason to think it will work now."

Breach had been accepted in the Salvation Army's Bridge programme to deal with methamphetamine and alcohol abuse.

He sentenced Creach to 18 months of intensive supervision and told him he would be judicially monitored during that time.

"I'll be getting reports on how you are doing. And if it doesn't go well you will be brought back to court and you know what the other sentence will be," Judge Mill told him.

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