Boat fan’s ‘good deal’ turns sour
When Haaretaua O’Brien handed over $17,000 in cash to a man he only knew as Garry, he thought he was realising a long held dream of boat ownership.
But the ‘‘good deal’’ turned sour when police discovered O’Brien’s new toy had been reported stolen from Rotorua the week before he forked over money for it.
As a result, O’Brien was subsequently charged with receiving property valued over $1000, New Plymouth District Court was told.
Detective Sergeant Dave MacKenzie said a boat, trailer and outboard motor valued at $24,500 was reported stolen by its owner on September 22, 2016.
In February, police received information via the Crimestoppers line from a person who had seen the stolen boat parked in the defendant’s driveway.
Acting on the information, police visited O’Brien, who told officers he had put a post on Facebook to try and find out if anyone was selling a boat.
‘‘He got a call from a guy called Garry who was from the Wairarapa,’’ MacKenzie said.
O’Brien made arrangements to meet with Garry in Hawera on September 29 to inspect the boat.
‘‘He thought it was a really good deal. He had been looking at boats for some time and estimated the boat to be worth $23,000 - $25,000,’’ MacKenzie said.
‘‘He paid $17,000 cash for the property but didn’t get a receipt, didn’t get Garry’s full name, address or take Garry’s ute registration down.’’
O’Brien also failed to notice the serial number plates had been removed from the trailer and the hull of the boat.
MacKenzie said O’Brien was unable to show where he obtained the $17,000 but told police he had been saving money for some time.
However, the cash did not come from his bank account.
MacKenzie said an insurance company had re-possessed the boat and was able to pursue O’Brien through civil action if required.
Following O’Brien’s guilty plea, lawyer Kylie Pascoe said he knew he had been ‘‘reckless’’ regarding the boat purchase.
In hindsight, there had been ‘‘red flags’’ about the deal that he had failed to see, Pascoe said.
However, she said O’Brien had not tried to keep the purchase under wraps either. ‘‘There was no attempt by him to try and hide or conceal the boat.’’
He had also co-operated fully with the police when questioned, Pascoe said.
She said O’Brien, who is fully employed and volunteers as a fireman, had been ‘‘incredibly embarrassed’’ about what had happened.
Judge Chris Sygrove said jail could have been a possibility for O’Brien, for offending he described yesterday as ‘‘serious’’.
However due to the fact the defendant had no previous convictions, he was willing to step back from this outcome, the judge said.
O’Brien was ordered to complete 80 hours of community work and fined $1500, plus court costs.