Mangu Kaha chapter president Albert Victor Epere was jailed on the day he turned 52 on a charge of robbery and intimidation, but his increasingly ``pro-social'' attitude got him a pat on the back from Judge Kevin Phillips when he appeared in the Dunedin District Court. ``I think if someone said that five or 10 years ago, talking about you Mr Epere, other people might have fallen on the ground in shock,'' Judge Phillips said. The court heard the defendant returned the car keys to a third party shortly afterwards but by then the robbery was technically complete. Judge Phillips said the victim was a kaumatua who had known Epere for some years. Epere was given a first-strike warning, under the three-strikes legislation, for the robbery conviction.

Source: Otago Daily Times October 08, 2018 15:33 UTC