A man remanded in custody was involved in the bashing of an inmate in a prison exercise yard that happened behind a blanket carefully hung to conceal the violence.

The following month he was sentenced and returned to the community, only to eventually embark on a three-week crime spree, which included multiple thefts, dangerous driving and an attack with a metal stool on a man in bed.

Today, Jason Te Arohanui Steven Osborne was in New Plymouth District Court for sentencing on 17 charges. They were a mix of police and Crown charges spanning from April to October 2023.

Judge Gregory Hikaka gave a lengthy overview of the crimes that at the end of the hearing would see Osborne sent back to prison - where his recent bout of offending began.

On April 24 last year, a group of inmates at Whanganui Prison hung a blanket in the corner of the exercise yard, which was under the surveillance of CCTV cameras, to conceal a violent assault that was about to occur.

About 10 minutes after the assault began, the injured victim came out from behind the blanket and walked over to a bench in the yard.

Osborne went up to him while he was seated and threw a series of punches at the man.

He suffered a black eye and open wounds to his face, along with cuts and grazing of his arms, elbow and wrist.

Judge Hikaka said not all the injuries could be attributed to Osborne but he had involved himself in what initially appeared to be someone else’s conflict.

It is understood three others were also charged in relation to the bashing.

The following month, Osborne was sentenced to two years of intensive supervision on earlier charges, including driving offences, assault, breaching home detention, burglary and using an offensive weapon.

However, he thumbed his nose at the rehabilitative sentence as he later launched a three-week crime spree in October, while on bail for the prison assault.

Jason Osborne was sentenced in New Plymouth District Court. Photo / Tara Shaskey

Six pages of summary of facts detailed a variety of offences over that period, beginning with Osborne getting behind the wheel of a car when he was not meant to be driving.

A police officer spotted him speeding and Osborne embarked on a dangerous attempt to flee, crossing the median barrier, going down the wrong side of the road and driving up on the footpath.

When one of his tyres was damaged, he pulled into a carpark, where he hit a vehicle that had a mother and two children inside.

They were shaken but uninjured and Osborne took off on foot. He managed to convince a member of the public he was being chased by gang members needed a ride, fearing for his safety.

Osborne hid in the footwell of their vehicle, which was captured on CCTV. The vehicle he had abandoned had a loaded, cutdown shotgun and three shotgun cartridges in it.

He was later seen driving stolen vehicles, while also being caught stealing a car from a driveway and another from an 80-year-old’s garage.

Osborne took a farm bike on one occasion and later nabbed a $50,000 Ford Ranger ute.

During the course of the crime spree, he was spotted driving with his face concealed by a balaclava.

A member of the public attempted to get the number plate of the car he was driving and Osborne drove towards the man, who armed himself with a cricket bat.

Osborne got out of his car with a hammer, resulting in the man driving off.

In another incident, he and a co-offender went to a person’s house and “basically gave him a hiding”, Judge Hikaka said.

The victim, who knew the men, woke to find Osborne and his co-offender standing over his bed. They went on to beat the man with their fists, as well as with a metal stool.

Eventually, on October 24 last year, Osborne headed to the mouth of the Waitara River, where a man was preparing to go whitebaiting.

An associate Osborne was with got into the victim’s front passenger seat. She was told to get out, leading to Osborne approaching the victim and punching and kicking him in the stomach.

Later that day, Osborne was arrested, bringing his “streak” to an end, Judge Hikaka said.

In sentencing him, the judge said there was real concern about his risk to the public.

He said Osborne had clocked up about 90 convictions since 2009 and reports provided to the court had detailed several “concerning features” he presented with.

The judge accepted there was a link between Osborne’s background and his “life of crime”.

On all charges, Judge Hikaka jailed him for five years and six months but also made an observation and asked Osborne to have a good think about it.

“In all your violent offending that you were for sentence on today, you didn’t initiate it. You joined others who had already started that process.

“If you were able to stand on your own two feet rather than follow what others have been doing then the chances of you continuing to get into violent situations is likely to be a lot less than what your record would show.”

Tara Shaskey joined NZME in 2022 as a news director and Open Justice reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked at Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment, and Māori issues.