Burglar jailed after taking empty till

A recidivist burglar who broke into the lounge bar at Timaru’s Phar Lap Raceway and made off with an empty cash register has been jailed.

Royce Cole Tyler Morgans jemmied open the back door to the Grey Way function room with a screwdriver and stole a cash register, only to dump it in a stream after discovering there was no money inside.

Morgans, 22, was sentenced to a year imprisonment and ordered to pay $250 in reparation when he appeared before Judge Tom Gilbert in the Timaru District Court yesterday, having pleaded guilty to burglary.

Picking up the cash register set off an alarm and caused sirens to blare at the Pleasant Point Highway premises about 2am, on November 22, 2020.

Morgans fled with the cash register, before abandoning it in a stream near Washdyke Flat Rd.

‘‘No money was obtained,’’ police prosecutor Sergeant Ian Howard said in a summary of facts to the court.

‘‘The cash register was damaged . . . and is the property of South Canterbury Catering.’’

When questioned by police, Morgans stated he had needed some money to get to Cromwell, Howard said.

Judge Gilbert said Morgans was subject to prison release conditions at the time of the offending – having been jailed on three burglary charges on January 17, 2020.

Morgans had also been convicted on two burglary charges in 2016.

Defence lawyer John Black said Morgans, who had spent the past two months in custody, could claim ‘‘diminished responsibility’’ for his offending because of the mental health issues he faced, including foetal alcohol syndrome.

It was a ‘‘spur-of-the-moment’’ burglary, and Morgans had demonstrated remorse and a ‘‘clear acceptance of responsibility’’ at a restorative justice meeting with the cash register’s owner, Black said.

Judge Gilbert acknowledged Morgans’ restorative justice report was ‘‘good’’.

‘‘You had a good discussion with the person who owned the cash register. He encouraged you to turn your life around, and hopefully you can take that on board.’’

The judge said Morgans had one child with another on the way, and hoped to ‘‘build a life with your fiance´e and your baby’’.

‘‘You need to work with Corrections for a release plan to support your family. Living in a car is not an option for a young baby,’’ the judge said.