Thief thwarted when forklift becomes tangled in fence

A thief’s attempt to steal a forklift was thwarted when it got stuck in the fence he was trying to knock over.

Lucas Proctor appeared in the Nelson District Court on Monday, where he pleaded guilty to charges of theft, burglary, and unlawfully entering a motor vehicle.

Proctor’s crime spree began about 9.10pm on August 22, when he broke into a Subaru on Monahan St in Motueka, removing the vehicle’s stereo head unit.

Further down the street, Proctor happened upon another car attached to a tow truck. This time, Proctor took out the car’s accelerator and brake pedals.

A third car on Monahan St, a Mitsubishi Galant, proved a more difficult prospect.

After breaking the lock with a screwdriver, Proctor then tried to jimmy the door open, bending the vehicle’s door frame.

Hearing the commotion, the vehicle’s owner stepped outside and confronted Proctor, who ran away down Huffam St.

Proctor resurfaced nearby on Old Wharf Rd, where he broke into Motueka Cold Storage. Finding a parked forklift with the keys still in the ignition, Proctor proceeded to ram the gate to secure his escape.

After running into the gate multiple times, the forklift did enough damage to rip the supporting posts out of the ground and destroy the gate.

The forklift got tangled in the fence and he had to flee on foot.

Proctor was caught soon afterwards by police, with the stolen property and forklift keys still in his pocket.

Judge David Ruth convicted Proctor on all three charges, remanding him for sentencing on November 13.