Pair jailed for crime spree
IT started with a couple of pairs of sunglasses and a cap being shoplifted from a discount store.
But the fourhour crime spree that followed has put two Dunedin men in prison for more than four years between them.
Slane Jet Hadley (19) and Taake Phillip Nuku (28) were both supposed to be serving communitybased sentences for other criminal offending when they walked into Krazy $ Deals on December 5.
Nuku created a diversion by telling the shopkeeper there was a fight on the street, while Hadley stole the goods worth $19.
Half an hour later, Hadley walked into a bottle shop in Princes St but was refused service because he was intoxicated.
He slipped a bottle of rum under his arm and ran out of the shop.
Nuku warned the assistant behind the counter not to call the police.
From there the pair, who had recruited a youth into their escapade, wandered to a Cargill St house and walked in through the unlocked front door.
The group grabbed a wallet, smart watch, hard drive, back pack, skateboard and mountain bike while the occupants of the property sat unaware upstairs.
They even made off with meat from the fridge.
The defendants then broke into another house around the corner in Stuart St, this time smashing a window to gain entry.
They took electronics, including two televisions, and raided the freezer for meat, a summary of facts said.
They also found the keys to a Toyota Camry parked outside.
With the severely intoxicated Hadley in the driver’s seat, the trio went on a joyride around Dunedin.
By 6.30pm they were seen heading south in Berwick St at speed.
The rear of the car swung out to the right and hit the front of a parked ute as Hadley passed it.
He overcorrected, screeching along the gutter before wildly veering right again, striking another vehicle, shunting it back.
The Toyota came to a rest on the footpath and a witness had to take ‘‘evasive action’’ to avoid being hit, police said.
The person tried to stop Hadley driving away but the defendant drove at the witness, causing the person to dive out of the path.
On Three Mile Hill Rd, the 19yearold clipped yet another vehicle as he overtook it at speed and the mayhem came to an end only when he reached Factory Rd in Mosgiel and lost control.
The Toyota slammed into a concrete power pole on the opposite side of the road and members of the public detained Hadley at the crash site until police arrived.
His breathalcohol level was 748mcg — nearly three times the legal limit.
Meanwhile, Nuku and the teenage passenger walked to a property in Hagart Alexander Dr, where they got into a locked garage.
They discovered a Ford Mustang and Triumph motorcycle inside.
Attempts to start the car failed so they wheeled the motorbike down the street, where police eventually found them.
The court heard both defendants had significant problems with alcohol and Nuku’s counsel, Andrew Dawson, said the man was determined to turn his life around and be a role model to his young son.
On behalf of Hadley, Rhona Daysh said a presentence report made for ‘‘grim and haunting reading’’ when it outlined her client’s turbulent formative years.
She said he would have significant promise if he addressed his addiction issues.
Hadley was jailed for 18 months, ordered to pay reparation of $3219 and banned from driving for eight months.
Nuku — who was also sentenced for a previous car crash — was sentenced to two years eight months’ jail, ordered to pay $1325 and was still serving an indefinite disqualification from driving.
The teen is being dealt with in the Youth Court.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz