18 months’ jail for ‘sneaky, nasty’ carpark thief

A Christchurch man who helped with "sneaky, nasty" thefts from vehicles at a remote national park carpark was sentenced yesterday to 18 months in jail.

Neville Joseph Webb, 34, a solo father, was in Christchurch District Court for sentence on 12 charges relating to thefts from cars at the Raspberry Flat carpark in Mt Aspiring National Park.

Webb's co-offender, Shane William Pedely, 32, was jailed last month for two years and four months on 40 similar charges.

A third alleged co-offender is still before the court.

When Webb pleaded guilty to breaking into four cars and stealing from eight victims, Judge Graeme Noble told him it was "sneaky, nasty offending against vulnerable tourists" and warned him that a prison sentence was almost inevitable.

Judge Michael Green agreed with his colleague yesterday, telling Webb that thousands of people used Mt Aspiring National Park each year but thefts, such as those the accused had admitted, were the "biggest single threat" to the sound reputation of the area's tourist industry.

People left cars at the remote end-of-road carpark about 50km northwest of Wanaka while they went tramping, climbing and walking in the area.

Earlier, the court was told that police set up a roadblock at Cameron Flat after four vehicles were broken into last February 21. They stopped a car containing three men, including Webb.

Stolen property - including a portable refrigerator, camping equipment and climbing gear worth a total of $9186 - filled the car to capacity.

Only a jacket had not been recovered. Damage caused to the cars in the break-ins cost $200.

Judge Green noted that Webb initially had been unco-operative with the police, claiming he had merely been admiring the scenery.

He later claimed he was an unwilling participant, having been driven there by a co-offender, and had tried to dissuade the others from committing the thefts, but Judge Green said he had "reservations" about accepting that explanation.

A "significant factor" in Webb's serious offending was the frequency of similar offending in a long list of previous convictions.

However, Judge Green noted that Webb pleaded guilty "relatively promptly" and he accepted Webb was a "lesser offender".

The judge granted Webb permission to apply for home detention.

- NZPA