May 21, 2010

Man admits parking meter ram-raids worth $400,000

A Christchurch man has admitted causing $400,000 damage with ram-raids on Christchurch?s new-style parking meters.

Police have said that Alan William Hayward, a 32-year-old labourer, got about $20,000 cash from the raids, committed last year using unlawfully taken four-wheel drive vehicles.

Hayward has spent months in custody since his arrest, and is now three weeks out from his planned trial before a judge.

Plans to defend all 42 charges were abandoned today when defence counsel Gerald Lascelles got permission from Christchurch District Court Judge Gary MacAskill for Hayward to plead guilty to everything.

The police today laid further charges of damaging more parking meters, stealing $1000 cash from the Christchurch City Council ? the contents of the meters ? and being part of a criminal conspiracy to commit thefts and criminal damage.

The criminal conspiracy charge names two other people.

The police charged Hayward with unlawfully taking nine vehicles, all four-wheel drive Nissano Terranos hefty enough to carry out the ram-raids.

After each vehicle was taken, the charges allege Hayward intentionally damaged a few parking meters, with a final total of about 40 meters over a two-month period from September to November.

According to the charges, he was obtaining well over $1000 cash by knocking over three or four parking meters at a time. Sometimes the raids yielded less, and sometimes nothing at all, but he faced 11 theft charges.

Hayward?s partner and a child were in court waving to him from the public seats as he made one of his earlier appearances, when he was remanded in custody.

Judge MacAskill has now remanded him in custody for a crown sentencing session on July 9 and has ordered a pre-sentence report.