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.
