December 01, 2009

Chef admits 13 repeat burglaries

A 20-year-old chef has admitted burgling the same Wanaka pizza restaurant at least 13 times.

Da Vinci’s Pizzeria was where Timothy James Andrews worked, but he has now admitted that he was very susceptible to peer pressure and used money and food from the business to socialise and to impress his friends.

He faces paying back $1400 which he agrees is a reasonable estimate of the food and money he took, and the cost of getting new locks fitted, and a broken window fixed.

Andrews pleaded guilty in the Christchurch District Court to 13 charges of burglary, one theft, and unlawfully taking a car — his flatmate’s vehicle which he took for a joyride one night when he found the keys on a coffee table.

Two of the burglary charges were representative, covering more than one offence.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Mark Berryman told Judge Jane McMeeken that the manageress of the pizzeria noticed in June that money was going missing from the till and cash floats that were kept for deliveries.

It was apparent that the thief was a staff member and the manageress kept a look-out but could not work out how it was being done.

During late June, cash, beef lasagne meals, and 24 bottles of Heineken beer went missing.

It seemed to be being done outside business hours, and there were more thefts in July with no sign of forced entry. She found that a staff key was missing and had the locks changed, but the thefts continued.

Then she found that a snib on a rear window was undone but unless it was checked closely, the window looked secure.

She arranged for people to stake out the premises after closing time on August 7. Nothing had happened when the stake-out ended after midnight, and they secured the window and left. Next morning the window was found broken and the whole till float of $220 was stolen.

The police were called in and they interviewed Andrews, who had been employed at the restaurant since March. He eventually admitted what he had done.

One night he had gone to the shop after hours with friends and cooked 10 large pizzas which were taken back to a party. He told friends he had permission to be there and invited them to drink alcohol and eat sweets at the shop.

He admitted using the spare key to get in after hours at least 10 times, and after the locks were changed he began unsnibbing the window. He also took money from the till and tip jar.

Defence counsel Richard Peters said the offences mostly happened when Andrews was aged 19. He asked Judge McMeeken to get a report that would allow a home detention sentence.

Judge McMeeken remanded Andrews on bail to March 1 for sentence, ordering a pre-sentence report, a home detention report, and a report on his ability to pay the reparations.