Shaun Symon, 40, appeared in the Dunedin District Court this week a changed man — three months sober, counsel Sarah Cochrane said.
It was a far cry from the mayhem of October when his alcoholism led him on a shoplifting tour of the city.
October 20 was his busiest busy day.
At lunchtime, Symon stole vodka pre-mixers from a Mosgiel store before hitting the nearby Woolworths for two bottles of Scrumpy.
Consuming the pilfered alcohol outside the Mosgiel police station was another poor decision.
Officers asked the defendant whether he had paid for the items.
"Nah, I’ll pay later," Symon replied.
When police took him to the supermarket to settle the debt, his card was declined and he had to be restrained as he tried to evade arrest.
Symon was transported home to sober up, but he had other ideas.
Shortly afterwards, he went back to a Dunedin liquor store, making off with $55 of alcohol and just before the central supermarket closed, he grabbed a box of beer and another couple of bottles of cider.
It meant on a single thirsty day, Symon had stolen 40 RTDs, four bottles of cider and a box of beer.
He even kicked on the following day, shoplifting two more bottles of Scrumpy before police tracked him down to the Dunedin Botanic Garden.
Symon tried to pull away again but was handcuffed and arrested.
With a limited criminal history, he was bailed by the court but the next day, police received calls about an intoxicated man on the streets of Waikouaiti.
They found a shoeless Symon "actively drinking, speaking in the third person and unsteady on his feet".
Despite his inebriation, the defendant ran away and was eventually pepper-sprayed into submission.
He was transported back to court for breaching his bail but there was still time for one final dash for freedom.
Symon bolted from the car and was finally apprehended 100m down Cumberland St.
Judge Hermann Retzlaff noted the man’s only previous conviction was a traffic crime from 2019, which proved he had the potential to live a stable life with the right support in place.
"If you return to that bottle, you will spiral again," he said.
Symon, who was convicted of seven counts of shoplifting, three of resisting arrest and one of escaping police, was sentenced to three months’ community detention, 24 months’ intensive supervision and ordered to repay $279 for the stolen alcohol.
