Judge gives thief a chance

A recidivist thief who was snapped loading a stolen television into his vehicle has avoided another stint behind bars.

Rhys Billet stole the appliance from an unknown property on January 5, having just served a prison sentence for his seventh dishonesty offence.

He was arrested when someone saw him with the stolen television five days later.

In the Palmerston North District Court on Monday, Billet was sentenced to nine months’ supervision. But he wasn’t ordered to repay fines and debt totalling $7230.

Billet provided a home for his grandchild and was shown sympathy by judge Jim Large, who urged him to start setting a better example.

The Palmerston North man initially pleaded not guilty and had refused to show at court on multiple occasions. This led to several warrants for his arrest. ‘‘You tell me you’re a family man, you don’t want to go to jail and you’ve got a grandchild at home. I want you to reflect what example you’re setting for your grandchild. If you wish to provide for your family then you should stop offending.’’

If Billet offended again, he would end up back in jail to ‘‘give the community a break’’ from his ‘‘activities’’.

Billet had limited means and couldn’t afford to pay a fine, the judge said.