$500,000 can't keep teen out of jail

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WRECKED: The written-off 2008 Audi A6 RS Avant stationwagon, which was valued at $280,000.

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A troubled teen wrote off a $280,000 car driving at speeds of up to 250kmh – despite his parents spending $500,000 to keep him out of jail.

Michael Johnny Kight, 17, was born with an extra Y chromosome – which has been linked to aggressive behaviour.

He flipped the 2008 Audi stationwagon several times before it came to rest more than 250 metres from the road. In the car were four firearms he had stolen earlier. He walked away from the crash with minor injuries.

Kight appeared in Napier District Court yesterday for sentencing after pleading guilty to charges including unlawfully taking a car, unlawful possession of firearms, dangerous driving and driving while forbidden.

Kight left a party in Havelock North after 1am on October 7 and walked to the nearby house of a family friend, police said.

On finding the house unoccupied, he went through every drawer and cupboard of every room. He opened a gun cabinet and took two shotguns, a .22 rifle and a BB gun.

He also took clothing, watches, jewellery, laptops, cameras and more than $500 in foreign currency.

He put everything in a 2008 Audi A6 RS Avant stationwagon valued at $280,000 and parked at the address with the keys in the ignition.

About 3am Kight was driving northeast on Farndon Rd, near Clive, at speeds of up to 250kmh when he lost control of the car.

It skidded for 40 metres, shearing 13 barrier posts off at ground level, and mangled a steel barrier. The guns were thrown about inside the car with such force that the stocks of both shotguns were broken.

Kight told police he did not know why he took the car or guns as he had never held a driver's licence or a firearms licence.

Kight's lawyer, Roger Philip, told the court his client had reactive attachment disorder, ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder, conduct disorder, and had an extra Y chromosome.

However, a historic link between the extra chromosone and aggressive and criminal tendencies has been widely doubted, and the effects are said to be variable and often minimal.

Mr Philip said Kight's parents had done everything they could for him, including spending $500,000 on specialist care in the United States and Samoa.

Judge Geoff Rea sentenced Kight to one year's prison, with standard release conditions for six months after his release. He has been in custody since the offence.

- © Fairfax NZ News