Meth ‘contributing factor' to theft of about $7k petrol

Otago Daily Times

14-07-2025

A Gore man who siphoned over $6900 worth of petrol from a self-service station did so because he was using methamphetamine and had lost his job at the meat works, a court has heard.
Ricky John Byron, 37, was before the Gore District Court on Wednesday for two charges of burglary for taking the petrol on nine occasions in Gore between January 19 and February 21.
The man was also charged with having weapons in his car, breaching the Search and Surveillance Act and possessing goods capable of being used to commit a crime.
Defence counsel Scott Williamson said his client was "obviously" using methamphetamine, and had lost his job at Waitane Meat Works before carrying out those crimes.
The police summary said Byron approached the unmanned station in January wearing a jacket with the hood up, a balaclava and a baseball cap.
He was also wearing a head torch, gloves, black pants and Red Band gumboots.
He covered a CCTV camera with a towel before climbing a 91 octane petrol fuel tank, the summary said.
Unscrewing a vent, he inserted a hose into the tank and used a pump powered by a car battery to siphon fuel, before leaving the site at about 3.45am.
He then repeatedly revisited the station to steal petrol in the early hours of the morning, stealing an amount worth a total of $6932.71.
On the last time he pulled up in his ute, with multiple fuel containers in the tray along with his pump and hose setup.
He climbed under a chain link fence to enter the station and again stole petrol.
Police found him in his car at 3.11am and arrested him.
Following a search of his car Police found a black-handled knife in a leather sheath in the front passenger seat and a black baseball bat in the rear left passenger footwell.
The summary said both weapons were in reach of the driver.
They also found an iPhone with a cracked screen, which the defendant later said belonged to a friend but refused to give any identifying details of the supposed owner.
Even when he was told he would be charged for failing to hand over the details of the phone, he still declined.
Mr Williamson said the man had been honest about his drug abuse.
He also said Byron had transferred $3000 to him to go towards repayment of the stolen fuel.
The meat works had agreed to re-hire the man when it reopened at the end of the month, though he would be stripped of his seniority, Mr Williamson said.
Judge Mark Williams acknowledged that Byron had lost his job and was struggling to make ends meet.
The judge said the defendant had accepted it was a stupid thing to do, though driven by financial needs, and expressed remorse.
"It comes as no surprise that methamphetamine was a contributing factor," Judge Williams said.
He said it was better that the man work than go to prison.
"You're better off contributing to society and your family than sitting in a prison cell."
He also said that it could not have been easy to pay the $3000 without a job.
Byron was sentenced to two months' community detention with a curfew of 7pm-6am and nine months' supervision.
"Just to keep an eye on things," the judge said.