Local News

Prints from stolen shoes bring arrest

A39-year-old Napier man has pleaded guilty to charges linked to a spate of burglaries in the city earlier this year.

Retimana Hiha, of Napier, has been remanded in custody for sentence on December 4.

He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison.

He appeared in the Napier District Court on Monday before Judge Tony Adeane, via audio-visual link, to complete his range of guilty pleas.

A police summary said more than $22,000 worth of property was stolen from eight properties across Napier during the burglary spree.

Some was stolen at second-hand dealers Ace Pawnbrokers, and some was found when police searched Hiha’s home address on July 4.

The burglaries took place on the night of May 11 at a house in Riverbend Rd, the night of May 19 in Seddon Cres, on May 22 in Shakespeare Rd.

Then there were five incidents in a week in mid-June, on June 12 in Taradale Rd, the next day in Munroe St, June 14 in Flanders Ave, June 16 in Hastings St and June 18 in Riverbend Rd.

Windows were smashed in three of the raids while entry was gained to others through unlocked doors or insecure windows.

The first haul comprised about $3000 worth of property, including a PlayStation 4 console and about 25 games and electronics.

Goods taken over the next fiveand-a-half weeks also included TV sets and other home entertainment items, jewellery, clothing, sports shoes, a fish smoker, laptop computers, hard drives and USB sticks with priceless images of victims, their families and friends, cameras, a wallet, a trolley-jack, a chainsaw, a tent, scrap metal, and a teacher’s planning folder with important notes on students.

In one burglary, Hiha left behind footprints of stolen sports shoes which he was later found wearing, including in CCTV images of another burglary, and in another he and a coburglar were exiting in a vehicle when a victim arrived home.

Hiha had received the stolen property he had traded or which was found in his possession or at his home.