Burglar’s choice of getaway vehicle was a ‘wheely’ bizarre one

A desperate father who couldn’t afford to buy Christmas presents for his children hatched a plot to steal a fridge from an empty house - using a wheelbarrow as a getaway vehicle.

But a member of the public spotted Andre Sean Obrien wheeling the whiteware away and called the police, who arrested the luckless 44-year-old near the scene of the December 24 crime.

‘‘It’s an absolute, straightforward brain fade,’’ his lawyer, Kylie Pascoe, told the New Plymouth District Court yesterday.

The summary of facts said Obrien knew no-one was living in the home on Ashwood Dr in Bell Block, near New Plymouth, but had spotted the brand new fridge freezer, worth $1100. The appliance was the only item in the house.

‘‘He had with him a wheelbarrow that he had brought with him from his address, which was within walking distance,’’ the summary of facts said.

Obrien entered the house through an unlocked ranch slider door and wheeled the barrow inside.

Photographs taken by police within the house show the distinctive single track mark left by the wheelbarrow’s tyre.

He then loaded the fridge on to the wheelbarrow, using a pillow he had also brought to cushion the appliance.

Obrien then left the address with the stolen fridge.

‘‘A member of the public observed the defendant wheeling the fridge down a nearby walkway and called police,’’ the summary of facts said.

Obrien pleaded guilty to the burglary.

Pascoe said Obrien had been living and working in Auckland, but when his job came to an end he moved back to Taranaki.

She said he had been ‘‘depressed’’ about his tight financial situation and his inability to buy Christmas gifts for his children. It was this desperation which inspired the burglary plan. ‘‘He knows that was wrong,’’ Pascoe told the court.

She said the starting point for the offending was jail but asked Judge Garry Barkle to take into account the unique circumstances of the case and the gap in Obrien’s offending history.

A sentence of community work was sought.

Judge Barkle described the case as ‘‘bizarre’’ but there had been a 10-year gap between this incident and Obrien’s last criminal conviction.

He also said the house was unoccupied at the time of the burglary, which meant the risk of any confrontation was ‘‘zero’’.

Obrien was convicted and ordered to complete 200 hours of community work.