Man admits crime spree with ‘lots of victims’
A Canterbury man’s crime spree involving a ‘‘huge’’ number of victims ended only after he was chased by police and stopped with road spikes.
Matthew John Woods pleaded guilty during a video-link appearance at the Christchurch District Court yesterday, and Judge David Saunders remanded him in custody for sentencing on January
30.
The 43-year-old admitted 27 charges of receiving stolen property, eight charges of burglary, possession of cannabis, morphine, and methamphetamine, failing to stop for police, breach of a community work sentence and five charges of obtaining items by deception.
Police went to a Sydenham property looking for Woods on August 23, because he was wanted on a warrant to arrest. Other property was found at other houses linked to Woods.
They found a large number of stolen items, linked to burglaries and thefts in which property worth well over $200,000 was taken.
The police account of the offending refers to Woods being linked to a burglary because his DNA was found on a glove left at the scene.
The stolen items included bigticket items such as trailers, a mower, power tools and laser levels.
Woods was caught after a police chase on September 5, which included road spikes being deployed.
Police originally laid a charge of aggravated assault, alleging he had tried to run down an officer laying out road spikes during the chase. However, that charge was withdrawn ahead of his guilty pleas to the other charges. Woods did not accept the police allegation that he had swerved towards the officer.
Police also amended some charges from burglary to receiving, and reduced a charge of possession of the class A drug methamphetamine for supply – which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment – to a charge of simple possession.
The offending happened in Christchurch and Timaru from February 2016 until September this year.
Defence counsel Tim Fournier acknowledged a jail term of six or seven years was likely for Woods, who was listed on the charge sheets as having no fixed abode.
Woods had agreed that $18,500 cash police found when they arrested him could be forfeited and paid to his victims.
Fournier acknowledged there was a ‘‘huge’’ number of victims. Police have provided a list of victim contact details so they can be contacted by the restorative justice team.
Judge Saunders warned Woods that many victims might not want to meet him at a restorative justice conference, because of the time of year.
But if the meeting could not be held ahead of his sentencing in January, it could still take place after his jail term had begun, the judge said.