More than a decade after attending as a pupil, a Mosgiel man has admitted burgling his former school.
Jesse Ryan Milligan (21) was smoking cannabis with friends on Silverstream School's grounds in April when he broke in, he told police.
He did so by removing glass panes and made off with a $120 Easter hamper.
Judge John Macdonald asked the defendant if he went to the school when he was younger.
Milligan nodded.
``That's pretty miserable, isn't it?'' the judge said.
There was a suggestion the defendant had been bullied in his youth and Judge Macdonald asked if that was the reason for the burglary.
Milligan did not reply.
He asked what the man was looking for in the school.
``Large sums of money?'' the judge suggested.
Milligan denied that was the motive and his counsel Deborah Henderson told the court her client had some significant mental health problems.
``He feels depressed, doesn't care and makes bad decisions,'' she said.
Judge Macdonald said it was clear Milligan needed help but the defendant did not want to be in the community to receive it.
Ms Henderson said her client wanted to go to prison. He had been sentenced to home detention and community work in the past, had struggled and did not want to go through the stress again.
That sentence came on the back of a spree of burglaries committed by Milligan and his friends in 2014.
They broke into several properties including that of a war veteran in his 90s.
Milligan was also convicted of arson for pouring petrol over a car and setting it alight.
Crown prosecutor Richard Smith suggested the focus of yesterday's sentence should be on rehabilitation and Judge Macdonald agreed.
He jailed Milligan for three months, adding six months of release conditions to get the man the counselling he needed.
