Crime spree couple alter pleas

A couple involved in a 600km crime spree which sparked a major police operation and an armed offenders callout at Palmerston will be sentenced next month on a raft of charges.

In the case of Christopher Daniel Shaw (26), panel beater, the charges include five instances of use of a firearm against a member of the police.

Police estimate Shaw and Stacey Estelle Snelleksz (21), company director, both of Palmerston North, will be sentenced on 56 and 48 charges respectively, including 37 each for cheque fraud, along with others including receiving, theft and burglary.

The couple's crime spree took place between January 30 and February 2 this year, ending when they were apprehended near Palmerston during the armed offenders callout.

Yesterday, the jury was discharged in the Timaru High Court when guilty pleas were entered on amended charges and it was found there was insufficient evidence on others. Snelleksz was tearful in the dock as she admitted charges of wilfully neglecting her children by failing to provide appropriate care after a crash, and ill-treating them by involving them in armed flight from police near Palmerston on February 2.

Snelleksz had previously denied two counts of wilfully neglecting a child, a charge of ill-treating a child, and six counts of using a firearm against police.

Before discharging the jury, Justice Fogarty explained how, at the close of the Crown case, Snelleksz's counsel, John Westgate, argued there was insufficient evidence that she was a party to the use of the rifle.

In delivering his judgement, Justice Fogarty concurred and she was discharged on those counts. It was a point of law that might be taken to the Court of Appeal.

The charges of neglect and ill-treatment of the children had been amended to reduce them to two counts, bringing the two children together.

In the case of Shaw, who denied using a firearm against Senior Constable Darrin Low, Justice Fogarty came to the view that Shaw had already admitted firing the gun and, because Snr Const Low was only a few metres away from Constable Stefan Witehira, they were both at risk when the shot was fired - thus a plea of guilty on another charge included the conduct that exposed Snr Const Low to some risk of being hit by a bullet.

Yesterday, Shaw admitted a charge of using a firearm against police by pointing it in the direction of Snr Const Low.

The couple will be sentenced in the Timaru High Court on December 16.