August 05, 2011

Theft ring member jailed for two years

By Anne Clarkson at the Rangiora Court House

One member of Christchurch?s $220,000 ?gang of thieves? has been jailed for two years and home detention has been ruled out for two others who will be sentenced in a fortnight.

Kent Seiji Natsuhara, 19, was sentenced for 10 charges of shoplifting, one of theft, and one of receiving. He raided Christchurch shops, taking electronic gear such as televisions, ipods, a home theatre system, and a vending machine from outside one shop.

He also attempted the theft of three video cameras, and took five black jackets. He had admitted all charges.

At an earlier hearing, the court was told that the group had taken goods worth $220,000 and a judge referred to them as ?a gang of thieves?.

Defence counsel Kerry Cook gave Judge Michael Crosbie a cheque from Natsuhara for a reparation payment of more than $19,000.

He said Natsuhara had worked since he had been given bail to pay the reparation and the rest of the money had been loaned to him by his family.

Mr Cook said it was serious and repetitive offending, but Natsuhara now showing remorse.

Crown prosecutor Kathy Basire said Natsuhara was the more sophisticated offender.

He was fully involved with the co-offenders with moving the property, but was very careful with his telephone. He spent days with his mates, working with them to steal $37,000 worth of goods in a short time, while subject to supervision by the courts.

Judge Crosbie said the bulk of his offending occurred on his own, or with another 15 year old youth.

He said there were victims who owned small businesses and they were just as affected as the house- holders burgled. The disruption of business cost money and time, and they were frustrated.

He said Natsuhara had a previous conviction for burglary, and a theft and burglary were committed while he was on bail.

There was significant premeditation and a large number of burglaries with a high value of goods, he said.

?Those who find themselves in crimes of a significant scale, with a significant number of people, will be dealt with in a significant way,? he said.

Natsuhara?s probation report said his level of compliance was ?not inspiring?, and home detention was an insufficient deterrent sentence, he said.

He sentenced him to two years prison and cancelled his existing community work sentence.

Two other two members of the group who had been scheduled for sentencing, Richard Johnathan Bidois, 18, and Luke David Bradley, 20, were further remanded to a sentencing date of August 22, and Judge Crosbie refused to order a probation report to consider home detention for them.