Arrest warrant issued on yacht theft charge
Police have been granted a warrant to arrest Simone Anne Wright – the partner of a man already in custody on 60 charges – on a charge of stealing a $145,000 yacht at Paihia in the Bay of Islands last year.
Wright, 40, is still believed to be in Australia and she was not at the Christchurch District Court when the case was called today.
Her address is given on the charging document as simply “Australia”.
Judge Brian Callaghan granted the police a “warrant in lieu of summons” which means she could be arrested as soon as she was found if she were in New Zealand. It may be the first step in extradition or deportation proceedings.
The man, Paul James Bennett, 53, is also charged with stealing the same Beau Birdsall 45 Cutter yacht in January or February 2015. The police allege it was taken from Paihia.
The couple sailed to Australia and were detained by police when they reached Sydney and the vessel was intercepted about February 16.
The couple had allegedly taken about a week to sail to Australia battling big waves, strong winds, a broken engine and snapped rigging.
Wright was released without charge but Bennett was charged with possession of a stolen yacht. In Sydney’s Central Local Court in October 2015, the argument centred on the identity of the yacht and the case against Bennett was dismissed.
However, Bennett was later deported from Australia and arrested when he arrived at Christchurch International Airport in May 2016.
He faced 60 charges, including one of stealing the yacht, thefts, frauds, and causing people to act on forged documents. Police have also charged him with indecent assaults on a 15-year-old girl in Auckland in 2008 and supplying her with the class B drug MDMA, or ecstasy.
The charges allege offending in Paihia, North Shore, Auckland, Taupo, Upper Hutt, Palmerston North, Christchurch, Cust, Naseby and Wanaka in Otago. The total amount of money and property involved in the offending is $567,000, police allege.
Bennett denies all the charges and has been remanded in custody for a pre-trial call-over which may set a trial date, on February 3.
Category: Focus
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