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Getting down and dirty FULL STORY
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Thief turns back on past A young man once part of a Christchurch group that stole 80 cars was sentenced to four months’ community detention when he appeared in the Ashburton District Court yesterday. Shawn Tony Samuels quit the group and moved to Ashburton for a better life after three friends died in a stolen car that was being chased by police. Samuels, 18, now had a fulltime job, a stable place to live and is about to become a father, his
lawyer Paul Bradford told Judge Kevin Phillips. Samuels was being sentenced on charges of unlawfully taking a vehicle, unlawfully getting in a vehicle, dangerous driving and failing to stop for police. He was also sentenced to supervision for six months and disqualified from driving for 12 months. Judge Phillips said a chill went down his spine as he read a pre-sentence report about the young man.
“You described offending as enjoyable to you. That you have been a party to stealing 80 cars in the four-month period you were in Christchurch. “You said you liked going fast in cars and you were aware you were being followed but focusing on getting to a high speed and getting away. “You then said you had stopped offending after the death of your friends in the accident in Christchurch, three young peo-
ple younger than you were in a car accident and trying to evade police.” Judge Phillips said Samuels was lucky that no one was injured when he tried to escape from police in a stolen car. “You were picked up in the stolen car by an associate and the ignition of the vehicle was pulled out and a window was smashed … you knew the vehicle was stolen.” Samuels’ associate later got out
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of the driver’s seat and Samuels took over driving, following his associate in another car that he stole. Samuels did not have a licence. The two cars were seen by police, who followed them into a cul-de-sac and sealed off the exit with a patrol vehicle.
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