Second robbery attempt lands man in court

A man who got away with robbing a Whanganui bowling club tried a second time and was tracked down by police dogs.

Along with associates, Darcy Chambers deactivated the alarm in the club by switching off the power, before breaking in to steal alcohol, and a laptop and a tablet computer.

Chambers and company returned some time later for a repeat robbery, but by this time the back-up batteries in the alarm had been replaced.

When the alarm sounded, the thieves took off and Chambers was tracked down by police dogs while trying to hide at a nearby property with a bag full of alcohol.

Chambers was sentenced by Judge Barbara Morris in Whanganui District Court, having been convicted on seven charges. His offending began in May.

“You were not permitted to live at home and you went to your family home on the 11th of May,” Judge Morris said. “You jumped over the fence, you went into the house and your mother asked you what you were doing. You said you wanted the $20 back that you’d given her.”

Chambers’ mother told him that the money was hers and that in any event it had already been spent.

“Your mother told you that she would call the police and you said they wouldn’t catch you. She kept holding the door handle, you mumbled something about being a gang member and then gave her a huge shove that resulted in her being pushed inside,” the judge continued.

Chambers then told his mother that while she was at work, he would return and smash all of the windows.

He threatened to smash her car and then said he would smash her over as well before an associate that was outside told him to come back out of the house.

Chambers was served a trespass notice, but returned to the home the following day asking if he could mow the lawn for money.

“You were told that you should leave, you went into the freezer and stole some food and kicked a hole in the wall,” Judge Morris said.

Chambers was arrested, released on bail and told not to return to the address. He did not return, instead, he decided to rob a bowling club on June 3.

“You turned off the power to their clubrooms and that had the effect of deactivating the burglar alarms. You returned some time later, smashed a window, you got in with the others and you all stole alcohol, a computer and a tablet,” she said.

Buoyed, the thieves returned at a later date, but the back-up batteries had been replaced. “In the early hours of the morning, following that night, you went and smashed your way in, again stealing alcohol and then the alarm activated.

“You took off, but you were tracked by the police dogs. You admitted stealing some alcohol, but said it was your co-offender that broke the window.”

Chambers was convicted on charges of wilful damage, wilful trespass, theft, common assault, behaving threateningly and two of burglary.

Judge Morris sentenced him to 18 months’ intensive supervision and ordered him to pay $49 reparation.