The aggravated robbery was a significant incident of violence, but Calthorpe had not previously been convicted of violent offending, Mr Hudson said. "He's graduated from near fraud or trickster activities to an aggravated robbery where a knife was used ... None of Calthorpe's victims had received their money back, and he did not have the means to repay them, Judge Sharp said. She accepted his offending may have been drug-related, and he had also written a nice letter to her, Judge Sharp said. Whether the threats of harm would have occurred was another matter, Judge Sharp said.

Source: New Zealand Herald June 24, 2016 06:33 UTC