The Star: December 14, 2023

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The Star Thursday December 14 2023 18 COURT Manslaughter case appeal dismissed • By Emily Moorhouse A TEENAGER who killed another teen by punching him in the head, and then bragged about it in a rap video posted to social media, has failed in his bid to reduce his prison time. Armani Williams, 18, was jailed for three years after fatally punching 18-year-old Levi Haami at the Countdown car park on Moorhouse Ave on December 4, 2021. Last month, Armani took his case to the Court of Appeal, arguing the jail term he received was “manifestly excessive”, but Justices Christine French, Susan Thomas and Sally Fitzgerald dismissed the appeal on Monday. “It was an unprovoked, sudden and forceful attack to the head by an angry and aggressive assailant who had deliberately sought the victim out,” the decision stated. The decision stated that while another judge may have given Williams a bigger youth discount, this did not equate to an error being made. The justices were satisfied that the end sentence of three years imprisonment was not manifestly excessive and Williams’ appeal was dismissed. – Open Justice • By Sam Sherwood and Anna Leask A COURT appearance for a Canterbury sports star charged with dishonestly taking a vehicle and intentional damage has been adjourned to next year, with an interim suppression order continuing. Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Man jailed for grooming young boy • By Erin Cox A MAN who groomed and abused a teenage boy after he was given accommodation during lockdown has been jailed for more than two years. In July 2021, Callum Joshua Jones, 31, developed a working relationship with a family in Otago, the Dunedin District Court heard last week. Jones lied to the family, telling them he was 23. As the Covid lockdown hit, the defendant requested to stay with the family to avoid breaching travel restrictions. They set up a mattress in their son’s bedroom, leading the pair to bunk together for about two weeks. During that time, Jones gave the boy a cellphone along with access to his media-streaming accounts, began messaging him via social media and, over four consecutive evenings in August HARM: Callum Joshua Jones has been sentenced to two years and four months imprisonment for grooming and violating a young teen. Sports star court appearance adjourned to next year The man – who listed his occupation on court documents as “athlete” – is facing two charges in district court. A court registrar confirmed his appearance had been adjourned on the papers to February. The existing suppression order was continued by the judge to his next appearance. 2021, Jones straddled the boy as he lay face down on the bed, massaging his legs and buttocks. He told the teenager it was normal for adolescent boys to experiment with one another and floated the idea of more intimate acts. In winter, with the permission of the teenager’s parents, Jones took the boy on a ski trip. Jones had now become a “trusted family friend”, the court heard. Jones told the boy the trip would be the prime opportunity for sexual experimentation. Jones assured the victim that “nobody would know” and it would “feel good”. The teenager gave in. After five minutes, the boy told Jones it hurt and he didn’t like it, so he stopped – but not for long. Jones “used the purchasing of the iPhone as leverage” to persuade him to allow further lewd acts, court documents said. Judge Michael Turner said the “serious offending” had caused significant harm to the child and the breach of trust had fractured the victim’s family. Court documents state that on November 15 the man allegedly took a car worth $10,000 from another person. The charge states he took the car “dishonestly and without claim” but not in circumstances amounting to theft, for which he faces a maximum penalty of seven years in prison. Judge Turner said the sexual grooming took many forms and clearly escalated over time. “You were gaining the trust of the victim; you were isolating the victim. There was no-one the victim could turn to or seek assistance from,” he said. “He was dependent on you for companionship and emotional support. This was a highly manipulative form of behaviour by you.” The court heard the teenager had exhibited a “significant change in behaviour” since the encounters and blamed himself for what Jones had done. Jones was convicted of two counts of sexual contact with a child, performing an indecent act on a young person and grooming. He was sentenced to two years, four months’ imprisonment. – Otago Daily Times He is also accused of intentionally damaging the car owner’s garage door, which carries a maximum penalty of three months in prison or a $2000 fine. The New Zealand Herald earlier approached the sportsman through a spokeswoman. 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Thursday December 14 2023 The Star Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz NEWS 19 Soldier flies home from Ukraine for Christmas, reunited with son • By Pierre Nixon FORMER NEW Zealand Army soldier Shannon Dillon has made an emotional return to family in Christchurch after an 18-month tour of duty fighting in war-torn Ukraine. After a successful Givealittle campaign, 40-year-old Dillon was able to raise more than $10,000 to return home to surprise his young son for Christmas. “He had been looking forward to that hug 18 months in the making,” Dillon said. “Coming from so much hatred and violence to the innocence and joy of a happy child . . . (as) any parent can tell you, it’s the best thing to see your child happy.” Dillon, who spent four years in the New Zealand Army infantry, moved to Ukraine to assist in military operations in June last year. “When it kicked off, it didn’t sit right. Ukraine didn’t want the war, they didn’t ask for it,” he said. “So initially I thought, ok I can go over there and offer my assistance to help train some soldiers (and) give them a bit more of a fighting chance.” When Dillon first arrived in the war-torn country he was tasked with training the Ukrainian ground forces. However, the language barrier made things difficult, so he transferred to the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. “We had to use Google translate, which in a war setting isn’t perfect,” he said. This was when his day-to-day operations moved from training soldiers to assisting on the frontline. Dillon suffered many serious injuries, including being hit by RESPONSIBILITIES: Shannon Dillon was initially tasked with training the Ukrainian ground forces, but turned to fighting on the frontline due to the language barrier. an artillery round and a grenade launcher. “I got shrapnel in my shin, shrapnel through my knee, a bullet through my hip and a pretty decent chunk taken out of my arm,” Dillon said. During one mission in the Donetsk Oblast region, Dillon and his unit were tasked with taking over a village to secure a foothold in a major Russian-held city. Dillon said he was hit by a suicide drone. It was the closest he’d ever been to death. “It’s probably the one time there that I was thinking, ‘Well, sh**, ok, maybe this is it,’” he said. “I remember lying in the paddock after being hit, just thinking because I couldn’t move my leg, the next one’s gonna land right on top of me. “All I could think about was my son, (how) I had made (him) a promise that I was going to come home and how upset he would be if I broke that promise. “So I dragged my ass up off the ground and managed to drag • Watch the video on Starnews.co.nz SOLDIER: Shannon Dillon got the closest he has ever been to death in Ukraine, subsequently going through five surgeries to remove shrapnel from his body. PHOTOS: GEORGE HEARD myself out to safety, (then) spent the next two months getting back together.” Dillon went through five surgeries to remove shrapnel from his body. He’s completed gruelling rehabilitation and is manning a hefty scar down his right arm. Back in August, he set up a Givealittle page to cover his travel back home to New Zealand. He received over 92 donations, amounting to $10,610. “Thank you to everybody who helped me to get back to New Zealand (and) to make this possible . . . without their help, I wouldn’t have been enough to do it,” he said. He plans to enjoy the summer break in Christchurch with his son before heading back to Ukraine early next year. “My plans are still tentative, but my intention is to go back for another couple of months,” Dillon said. “I have some unfinished duties there to take care of and then I’m going to assess my situation from there.” Three New Zealanders are known to have died in the wartorn country. Earlier this year, former NZ Defence Force soldier Kane Te Tai was killed fighting in Ukraine. Te Tai was instrumental in setting up a charity for service veterans and their families who found themselves in crisis. Corporal Dominic Abelen was killed in Ukraine last August while on unpaid leave from the NZDF. Dr Andrew Bagshaw died alongside British volunteer Christopher Parry while trying to rescue an elderly woman in an area of intense military action in Soledar. A street in the Donbas region will be named after Bagshaw in recognition of his service. The New Zealand Government has made it clear that those who choose to fight in Ukraine go on their own accord, without the support of the defence force. However, NZDF personnel have overseen the training of more than 2500 Armed Forces of Ukraine recruits in the United Kingdom. – NZ Herald On Resene Premium Paints, Wood Stains, Primers, Sealers, Wallpaper, Decorating Accessories and Cleaning Products Come in and see us today at your local Resene ColorShop! or shop online at shop.resene.co.nz 0800 737 363 resene.co.nz/colorshops Conditions: Buy Resene Premium Paints, Wood Stains, Primers, Sealers, Wallpaper, Decorating Accessories and Cleaning Products and get the GST value (15% off the full retail price) off at Resene ColorShops and participating resellers. The discount reduction will be calculated on the normal retail price OR if you have a Resene DIY card you can get the Save the GST value sale discount and an extra 5% off. Excludes WallPrint, decals, Crown, trade and industrial products, PaintWise levy and account sales. Paint offer also available at participating Mitre 10 MEGA, Mitre 10 and Hammer Hardware stores. 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The Star: December 14, 2023

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