A Coniston youth who damaged a car and shopfront windows in a fit of rage had been on parole from a juvenile detention centre for less than 24 hours, a court has heard.
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The 17-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was released on parole on Sunday, May 11, but was required to front Port Kembla Children's Court the next day for an unrelated matter.
A sitting of the District Court in Sutherland on Monday heard the youth, his girlfriend and his mother were heading towards Wollongong Railway Station on Monday morning, May 12, to catch a train to Port Kembla when the young couple got into an argument.
The teen became extremely agitated and aggressive and stalked off towards the multi-storey car park near the station.
Once inside, he punched the bonnet of three cars, leaving a dent in one.
The teen said he wasn't going to court, and walked off towards Crown Street.
The court heard that as he passed the ANZ bank he kicked out at the glass panel on a sliding door, shattering the glass.
He then kicked the window of the nearby Nova Express Cafe.
A police patrol noticed the youth in Burelli Street a short time later. The teen took off when he spotted police. He was arrested after a brief foot pursuit.
He was charged with three counts of malicious damage and faced Port Kembla Children's Court on the same day, where he pleaded guilty.
He was sentenced to six months' prison in a juvenile detention centre the following month but appealed against the decision, claiming it was too harsh.
Facing court on Monday, the youth asked for leniency, saying he wanted to get his life back on track for his girlfriend's sake.
The teen admitted he'd had an addiction to the illicit drug ice, but promised once released from jail, he would stay away from drugs.
"It's ruining my life," he said.
Presiding judge Paul Conlon increased the teen's overall sentence from six months to nine months, but set a non-parole period of four months, meaning he will be eligible for release on parole in October, rather than the original release date in December.