Michael Smith convicted of stealing a car with a child inside, as well as a number of other charges during the getaway

“I felt like my whole life was over when I saw Michael driving away with my baby in the car,” prosecutor Jo Woodcock told the court on behalf of the woman. She began to read the victim impact statement when the woman became overcome with emotion.

“Nothing felt real. I felt that I had really screwed up and would never see (my son) again. In my heart I thought he was going to die.”

She described how her body “failed” – he had a seizure – when she found her son on the side of the road where Smith had dumped him.

“My child was on the side of the road. I can’t believe that he would do that to me or that he would do that to anybody.”

Smith appeared in New Plymouth District Court today for sentencing on 21 charges, including kidnapping, which were brought over seven days in two counties.

At least 10 people suffered from his crime. No one will receive any money from Smith to make up for what he stole and the damage he caused. He has not a cent to his name.

Smith was already serving a sentence of house arrest when he began his crime spree, stealing several cars, robbing homes and clubs and putting motorists’ lives at risk as he drove dangerously on public roads.

Smith proved so elusive the police had to call for help from citizens to track him down. Details about his time as a fugitive can be read here.

He sat stony-faced throughout the hour-long sentence. Sentenced to four years by Judge Tony Greig, Smith responded by shouting: “To hell with you and to hell with the police”.

The child was dumped on the side of the road

Smith’s crime spree began on May 10, when he was given an hour of authorized leave from house arrest to go shopping.

But at High Street Dairy in Waitara he came across a woman’s car left unattended, unlocked and still running.

He didn’t see her six-month-old baby, who was asleep, strapped into a car seat in the back.

Smith jumped into the car, and as he backed up, the woman, who had stopped to buy booze, left the store and ran to the car, pounding on the window and trying to open the door, repeatedly yelling that her child was in the back seat.

But Smith suddenly started the car, which caused her to fall on the road, and drove away.

The mother, who was left with a bruised leg and a possibly broken finger, chased the vehicle on foot.

Up the road, Smith stopped the car and tried to get the child out, but struggled to release the seat belts.

He turned around and continued driving before stopping near Anzco Foods Waitara, about 600 meters from the dairy. Smith took the child from the seat and placed him on the curb near the meatpacking plant, near the curb. This moment was captured by video surveillance cameras and shared on the Internet.

Then he sped up.

Meanwhile, the child’s mother was picked up by a member of the public and arrived shortly after finding her child screaming. When they met again, she had a seizure.

Smith threw the woman’s iPhone out the window as he drove out of town in her car.

Around that time, he called his mother and she pleaded with him to surrender. But at the time he was under the influence of methamphetamine and marijuana.

Smith knew that he was facing a long prison term, so he decided to try to stay in society as long as possible, on the run.

Eighteen years of pain

Sentencing, Judge Greig said all the victims had suffered emotional and financial loss as a result of the crime. One of the victims called Smith a rat and heartless.

However, the woman who suffered the most was now struggling with depression and anxiety.

Although her car, which was not insured, has now been returned to her, it is not in roadworthy condition.

Smith also gutted the interior, painted over the magnetic wheels, and disposed of all of her personal belongings in the car, including a stroller, car seats and children’s clothing. The woman said it would take years for her to recover financially.

“It was all she owned in the world and you took it and broke it,” Judge Greig said.

Smith has a criminal record dating back to 2006 that includes drug offences, violence, dishonesty, burglary and various offences.

“All your life you have been stealing and harming society. Eighteen years (insult) and you don’t have a cent to your name.

“And you hurt all these people to a greater or lesser extent because you just prefer to get high.”

A pre-sentence report said Smith had ADHD, which would not cause him problems if he took medication.

“Not only are you not taking your medication, but you’re taking other drugs that are causing you to behave the way you do.”

The report says that before the crime, Smith’s relationship had broken down and he was on edge.

He took the car to get away from “all the drama his ex caused,” Judge Greig said, referring to the report.

Smith told the reporter that he had no intention of taking the child, and when he saw him in the back seat, he knew he had “stuffed.”

The judge agreed he did not know the boy was in the car when he took it, but said he would have found out shortly because the woman had been banging on the windows.

Smith apologized for the harm he had caused her, but the reporter said his language suggested he only accepted partial responsibility. He accused the woman of leaving her child in an unlocked car.

Judge Greig also disqualified Smith from driving for two years and six months, which will not begin until April 2028, when his other disqualification period ends, and ordered him to pay a $1,752 fine.

Tara Shasky joined NZME in 2022 as News Director and Open Justice Reporter. She has been a reporter since 2014 and previously worked for Stuff covering crime and justice, arts and entertainment and Maori issues.