Meth ‘contributing factor' in theft
Ricky John Byron, 37, of Gore, was before the Gore District Court last week on two charges of burglary for taking the petrol on nine occasions 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.
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 about 3.45am.
He then repeatedly revisited the station to steal petrol early in the morning, stealing an amount worth a total of $6932.71.
On the last time police found him in his car at 3.11am and arrested him.
A search of his car by police revealed a knife in a leather sheath in the front passenger seat and a black baseball bat in the rear left passenger footwell.
The meat works had agreed to rehire 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 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 the man work than go to prison.
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.
ella.scott-fleming@alliedpress.co.nz
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