Home detention for fuel burglars

Three people have been sentenced to home detention for their role in a fueltheft and burglary spree in which they committed a string of thefts and caused damage costing thousands of dollars.

Natasha Evelyn Cribb, Troy Stefan James McAllister, and Joshua Ian Pepperell previously pleaded guilty to a raft of dishonesty charges in the New Plymouth District Court.

A fourth offender, Mitchell Morgan Stevenson, also admitted the charges and has seen his sentencing put off until next year.

In one of multiple incidents listed in a Crown summary of facts, just before 5am on New Year’s Day the four defendants were in a car in Bell Block and discussed obtaining fuel cards by breaking into businesses.

They drove to GJ Sole where Pepperell crawled under a netting fence and used a rock to smash windows on several vehicles and steal several fuel cards.

Between January 1 and 12, Pepperell, McAllister and Stevenson used the stolen cards 39 times, at all hours of the day and night, to provide fuel to a number of unknown people.

‘‘The defendants made arrangements with friends whereby he would pay for a full tank of fuel using the fuel card and in return would ask for less than half of the cost from them,’’ the summary said.

The four also committed burglaries, including stealing tools, keys, a Navman satellite navigation system and Oakley sunglasses, and eating chocolates found inside one site.

All four pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary, and there were several further pleas to either individual or joint charges, including multiple dishonestly using documents charges.

In court on Friday, Judge Gregory Hikaka sentenced Cribb to 10 months’ home detention on seven charges and ordered him to pay reparation of $5200 at $20 a week.

McAllister was also sentenced on seven charges, to 11 months of home detention and reparation of $200 at $20 a week.

Judge Hikaka noted that Pepperell had a previous history before the court, including 16 dishonesty convictions.

He was sentenced to 11 months of home detention and ordered to pay reparation of $2097 at $20 a week.

Stevenson’s sentencing was delayed until February.