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A Nelson man who stole a human skull and bones, and then offered to return them in exchange for methamphetamine, was sentenced today to nine months of house arrest.
Cayden Minto.
Photo: RNZ / Charles Anderson
Cayden Minto, who admitted in May to charges of burglary and blackmail, narrowly avoided the prison because of the measures taken to change his life.
The incident took place last December after Minto's entry into Nelson's Masonic Lodge
A skull and crossbones are Freemason symbols used in the initiations of candidates.
Judge David Ruth said this afternoon at Nelson District Court that his mother and his own mother
The 27-year-old faced the prospect of 23 months in prison as a starting point .
Judge Ruth said that it was time to put her other life behind him, "
" Certainly, if you were to fall back on methamphetamine or any other drug use, I think your aspirations and those of your fiancee would be desperate, "said Judge Ruth
. Zindel told Minto, who had been on electronic bail awaiting conviction, had managed to stay out of the drugs and alcohol for 10 months before the incident. It led to a relapse of three weeks, and then had been clean during the last five months.
"It's not always easy to stay on the wagon – to stay away from these temptations, but with the help of the church and a Mr. Zindel said that Mr. Minto , who was still struggling with the extremely difficult problems he was facing growing up, had become a kind of public face of the dangers of "pernicious." Minto is featured in this year's RNZ series on the drug, and his story was reprinted in a local community newspaper in Nelson.
Mr. Zindel credited the support of Minto's partner, his mother, and his own mother.
He said that he n & # 39; There was no promise that it would prevent any further offense, but it seemed that Minto had turned a corner.
The Crown objected to the address of his future mother-in-law as appropriate for the house detention
Sophie O 'Donoghue said that there had been three p El stated that it was verbal arguments related to his use of methamphetamine, including an argument that worsened to the extent that a child at the address was to be transferred into a safer environment.
Ms. O. Donoghue stated that Minto had, on a number of occasions, violated his curfew conditions during an electronic bail, especially when he had committed the same. the offense for which he was sentenced today
Photo: RNZ / Tracy Neal
She said that Minto's fiancée knew that he had committed the same. and that the stolen property was hidden in the garage.
Judge Ruth said that Minto had a long history of offense. He said the property might not seem appropriate and that it was not appropriate. a number of problems had been raised, particularly with regard to domestic discord, but "
" I have read the letter of your fiancee and your m re, and you and they all have the same theme – that you want to put the & # 39; order in your life and spend your money.
Judge Ruth said that there could be a better chance for Minto to succeed when he rehabilitated home conditions.
Minto was sentenced to house arrest at his fiancée's home, with a warni ng that any relapse would end up in jail.
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