Career criminal keeps promise to judge to turn his life around

Usually the outcomes in court are a compromise between what the law can do and what someone deserves.

But every once in a while, someone takes the bull by the horns and really does turn their life around.

It’s getting close to two years since Dyllan Rowe came before the court – and he has spent that time getting clean, learning to understand himself and finding a new purpose in life.

In February 2021, after what even his lawyer called a serious seven-week crime spree, he made a promise to a judge to get it right.

Now he is studying for a Bachelor of Arts at university, met with his victims in a restorative justice meeting and has completed a course at Odyssey House. Rowe has come so far that Odyssey House has offered him a job.

Lawyer Jason Owers said he stood out as a completely different person.

He first came to attention when he forced his way into the Wellington home of an elderly couple, one of whom fell to the ground and was injured. He ran off then broke into a family’s home, stole their food and then camped out overnight in the attic eating it while police searched the area.

The next day he tried to leave but fell through the ceiling and jumped 3m from a window to escape.

Police examining the house found half-eaten food in the ceiling and believed Rowe may have been there up to 12 hours.

He pleaded guilty to 33 charges of burglary, aggravated assault, intentional damage, careless driving, possession of methamphetamine, driving while under the influence of meth, theft from cars and unlawful taking of a car.

This week, Rowe was able to tell Porirua District Court judge James Johnston he had kept the promise.

Rowe said he had been consumed by hate and self-pity, lived fast, had no direction and was all about money, status and respect.

He felt sympathy for the man he was back then.

“I had no control of my emotions, no empathy for others, no self-control,

coping or life skills...no logic or decision-making and no direction in life.”

Now he said he had ambition, happiness and fulfilment.

He thanked the judge for letting him go to Odyssey House.

Judge Johnston said he was also struck by the letter Rowe had written to the son of the family whose house he had been in and told the boy he no longer needed to be afraid, and he was sorry for scaring him.

The couple were supportive of Rowe and wanted to see him do well.

The judge said there were other victims who had been traumatised and terrified by the invasion and violation of their homes.

Rowe’s driving factor had been drug addiction. Putting Rowe in prison now would put at risk everything he had since done.

“The hard yards have been done and you have shown what is possible with hard work. I commend for you efforts.”

He sentenced Rowe to five months’ community detention, 18 months of intensive supervision and ordered to pay reparation of $6807.

Owers said Rowe had been abandoned by his mother in Australia and left to his own survival, which later led to his criminal offending. He was later deported back to New Zealand.

But he had spent the last two years either in custody or on electronic bail, studying and profoundly changing his life.