A teenager with a fondness for taking Subaru Legacy cars for joy rides admitted being behind a spate of vehicle thefts throughout Blenheim, and bragged about committing similar crimes in other towns.
Dominique Wilson, 17, a vineyard worker, of Blenheim, admitted nine charges of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle and eight charges of theft when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.
Eight of the cars Wilson took were Subaru Legacys. The other was a van.
Wilson was remanded in custody until sentencing on March 7 by Judge Tony Zohrab. During his appearance, his first before any court, Wilson bragged about similar offending he had done in Hamilton and Gisborne.
Police prosecutor sergeant Graham Single said the police had noticed a big rise in car break-ins before Christmas, about the same time Wilson came to Blenheim.
Wilson was breaking into the Subarus and going for joy rides while drunk, he said.
He said Wilson took items from cars six times and shoplifted twice.
Charge sheets in court show the offending began on December 21 and ended on January 27 and the value of all stolen items amounted to $13,366.10. Most of the items had not been recovered.
Wilson had not previously appeared in any court before, but had "very regular interactions" with the police since 2008, Mr Single said.
Defence lawyer Bryony Millar said Wilson grew up in Hamilton, but his parents lived in Blenheim. He moved to Gisborne to look for work, but was living with his aunt in Blenheim.
- The Marlborough Express
No comments:
Post a Comment