Cathedral burglary charges dropped
Letters of apology and donations to charity have halted the prosecution of two North Island men charged with burgling Christchurch’s quake-damaged Cathedral.
The burglary charges were dropped by the police when the case was called in the Christchurch District Court today. The prosecutor explained to Judge Stephen O’Driscoll that it was “not in the public interest in going forward”.
The men, Phillip Mark Pavich, 55, and Gilbert Southworth, 46, both from the Waikato, did not attend the unexpected hearing – their attendance was excused.
They had been arrested last month after motion-activated cameras inside the Cathedral captured images of two men entering the building at 3.30am. They had climbed the perimeter fence and walked through the main doors, before having a good look around.
Police then arrived and say they caught the pair walking out with a church lectern.
The pair, who were apparently in the city on a golf trip, appeared in court and were remanded to appear again on June 3 but the case was brought forward to today for resolution.
Defence counsel for both men, Grant Tyrrell, told the court there had been discussions about the appropriateness of the charge but not the errors of judgment by both men.
These had led to letters of apology and a donation to the Cathedral by both men, and the police then asked to withdraw the charges. Judge O’Driscoll granted the withdrawal.
Category: Focus
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