Orchid thieves guilty
Two women claiming to be fundraising went door-to-door selling $500 of flowers they had stolen from a Taranaki nursery.
Kararaina Makere Te Rauna and Courtney Elizabeth Young, together with a third person, drove to Slaters Orchids in New Plymouth and loaded their car boot with armfuls of blooms.
But one boot-load wasn’t enough for the three, who returned later in the day and repeated the act.
The shop, located on a rural property, is unmanned and works on an honesty box system.
According to a police summary of facts, the shop was targeted by the trio in the July 14 theft. They went there with the intention to steal flowers to sell, the statement said.
The total cost of stolen orchids was about $500.
In the following days, the trio went door-to-door in various New Plymouth suburbs selling bunches of the flowers.
They told buyers they were fundraising for different schools, kindergartens and parks.
In earlier reports on the thefts, Chris Bricknall, whose parents, Don and Ailsa Slater, own the nursery, said she was shocked and upset by the dishonest acts.
‘‘Like any small business it’s hard to make ends meet sometimes. We can’t afford to be having this happen.’’
She said the business might have to rethink its honesty box approach.
Yesterday, Te Rauna and Young both appeared before Judge Chris Sygrove at New Plymouth District Court where they pleaded guilty to a representative charge of burglary under $500.
Defence lawyer Jo Woodcock sought a sentence of community work together with reparation for her client, Te Rauna.
Judge Sygrove told the 30-yearold stealing from honesty boxes was a ‘‘miserable’’ offence.
He ordered she pay $167 reparation and handed down 100 hours’ community work.
In relation to a separate matter, Young, 31, also faced a charge of receiving property, to which she pleaded not guilty.
Defence lawyer Turitea Bolstad asked for a pre-sentence report for her client.
Young will reappear at court on October 29 in relation to the burglary charge and October 11 for the other.