October 20, 2011

Court told of teen's night out stealing

By David Clarkson at the Christchurch Men's Prison

A teenage member of a group stealing cars ? particularly Nissans worth nearly $70,000 ? has been told he is ?thoroughly unreliable? and will stay in custody until his sentencing in December.

Judge Stephen Erber noted that 18-year-old Rhys Robert Mills had committed offences while he was on bail and subject to a rehabilitative sentence.

Probation assessed his willingness to commit to treatment as poor.

?You are not going to get bail again,? said the judge. ?You are thoroughly unreliable.?

Mills had originally pleaded not guilty to a long list of charges but he changed tack at a Christchurch District Court session inside Christchurch Men?s Prison today.

He admitted stealing eight cars, and unlawfully taking another, driving while disqualified, dangerous driving, and breaching a community work sentence.

Judge Erber remanded him in custody for sentencing at Rangiora on December 7. He ordered a pre-sentence report, a reparation report, and an assessment of Mills? suitability for home detention even though he did not think that sentence was appropriate.

Defence counsel Ros Burnside said Mills had admitted his dependency on methamphetamine and had done a rehabilitation programme at Odyssey House after the spate of car thefts in June.

She said he wanted released on bail to live with his mother at Rangiora and continue work three days a week, labouring at an engineering firm.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Paul Scott said Mills admitted being part of a group who got together by text message in Christchurch on June 2 and headed for Timaru planning to steal and return with five cars. Mills picked up a Nissan key to help with the offending.

Members of the group, including Mills, used keys, a screwdriver, and crescent spanner to get into cars and start them, sometimes pushing them out of driveways before they were driven off.

The total value of the cars ? all Nissans ? was $68,500.

He stole another car a fortnight later and sold it to an associate. It was found partly stripped.

Police want $10,339 reparations for the damage to the cars.

Scott said Mills was disqualified from driving for three months on August 3 but was signalled to stop by a police car when he was seen driving in Christchurch on September 6.

He sped off at up to 85kmh over quake-damaged streets such as Gayhurst Road and McBratneys Road, where the surface was loose shingle and the speed limit was 30kmh. He was caught after he parked in Harvey Terrace after a 3.5km chase, and ran off. He said he didn?t stop for the police, because he was disqualified.

While Scott detailed all Mills? offending, the judge stopped him, saying: ?I think that?s enough for one morning.?