One of the more remarkable things happened this week. A Judge actually admitted that he got something wrong and almost apologised.

His name is Judge Kevin Phillips and he is a District Court Judge in Dunedin.

The whole sorry affair started in May last year.

A 16-year-old and his brother were cruising streets of Dunedin looking for a party they had heard about on Facebook and trouble.

First, they shook down another 16 year old. They got him to empty his pockets. They punched him in the face knocking him out and taking his phone and wallet.

Ten minutes later they spotted five students carrying some booze, beer and cider.  So they too were shaken down. The booze was taken and people were hit. And as they escaped, the offender noticed a woman trying to photograph the car they were in.

When this scumball youth appeared in court Judge Phillips granted him electronically monitored bail to his father’s home and orders to receive help and training. Which as it turns out was nearly a fatal mistake.

2 months later while at the training centre the offender noticed the woman who he said had been saying bad things about him and launched a furious assault.

It began with six punches to the face, which knocked the victim to the ground.

As she tried to protect herself, he kicked her in the head as hard as he could and followed it up with two stamps to the temple.

She suffered a cracked cheekbone and eye socket, a broken nose and split lip.

So when this piece of work appeared again in court Judge Phillips admitted he got it wrong. ''It was against my better judgement and I have to take responsibility.'' And he apologised for the 18 year old woman who was beaten up. The defendant was jailed for three years and two months.

So good on the judge, because how many times do we hear of these mistakes but no remorse?

But let’s remember that the offender was 16 and he was offered a raft of intensive services to help get his act together.

But here is the kicker in the tail.

The court heard the man had gone into care at the age of two and was moved 13 times between homes within a year. At 13 years old he was living in a car. Gangs, violence and drugs were the norm. Judge Phillips said ''You're a young man who has had no chance or opportunity in life whatsoever and I feel very sad about that.''

Our child services so often are asked to step in, but you can’t help that they actually make things worse. You can blame the parents but the state also seems good at creating a feral underclass.