A former Oamaru man has admitted nine Christchurch burglaries
which he said supported his drug habit.
Toby John Richards (26) broke in to nine homes around
Christchurch and took more than $24,000 worth of property
during October and November.
The series of offences began when he was stopped driving in
Oamaru in August and a test showed he had a level of 674mcg
of alcohol per a litre of breath - 274mcg over the legal
limit. He admitted that charge, as well as being unlicensed
driver and driving while forbidden.
He was described as an Oamaru dairy farmer at the time of
that arrest.
In October, he smashed the glass French doors at a Wainoni
house, and took $5000 of property including computers,
camera, guitar, and clothing.
He burgled a house in Avonside during daylight three days
later, stealing a computer, camera, and jewellery.
He took DVDs, two DVD recorders, a camera and headphones from
a home for the intellectually disabled.
At a house in Dallington Tce, he used a bent pole to reach
through a cat door and unlock the sliding door, before taking
another laptop, jewellery, cameras, and a Playstation.
He smashed windows to get inside several other properties,
taking items, and even eating food inside one of the houses.
When a housesitter caught him, she made him leave the
property he was stealing and he left while she rang the
police. She could see he was under the influence of drugs.
He was caught nearby after a burglary in the central city on
November 13 and told the police he had done the burglaries to
support his drug addiction.
Richards pleaded guilty to a total of 12 charges in
Christchurch District Court today and Judge Gary MacAskill
remanded him in custody for a probation report, reparation
report, and sentence on February 15. No home detention report
has been asked for.
