Boat thefts easy, say pair who wanted to show off

Two men committed a spate of boat-and-trailer thefts because it was easy and they wanted to impress their friends, a court was told yesterday.

They stole boats, a jetski, an all-terrain vehicle, and trailers worth a total of $278,000 before police brought their offending to an end with a raid four months later.

Some of the boats were found in a garage the two men had rented to store the stolen property.

Richard William Baddock, 22, and Matthew Jeffrey Fulton, 22, pleaded guilty to burglary and thefts committed in Christchurch and Tekapo between October and last month when they appeared before Judge Colin Doherty in the Christchurch District Court.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Ross Unwin told the court: "They both said they targeted boats because they knew they would never be able to afford them and wanted to impress their friends."

Both were remanded on bail until June 16 for pre-sentence and reparation reports.

The stolen gear was all recovered but owners have reported that some damage was done to the boats and trailers, police said.

Police said both men had previous convictions.

In late October they cut a padlock and entered a yard where they took a $25,000 Bayliner boat.

"After stealing the Bayliner, the defendants decided they would steal another boat because the first was so easy to do," Mr Unwin said.

- NZPA