Burglar swapped stolen guns for P

A Whangarei man who targeted firearms to swap for methamphetamine in a spree of Christmas-time burglaries - including breaking into one home twice - has been jailed for three years and four months.

Mark Laurent, 41, appeared for sentence in the Whangarei District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to four counts of burglary.

Laurent burgled four rural Whangarei homes between December 13 and December 25 last year. Three of the burglaries were on Pipiwai Rd, including one on Christmas Eve and another on Christmas Day. He took firearms from each burglary with the total property stolen worth $9000.

Judge Simon Maude said Laurent had a significant list of previous convictions, both from Australia and here, that included aggravated robbery, armed robbery, burglary and many other dishonesty offences.

Judge Maude said Laurent - who had drug addiction problems - told police he targeted homes with firearms knowing he could exchange them for methamphetamine. He said it was a serious concern that Laurent targeted guns as this risked putting them into the "wrong hands".

Despite Laurent co-operating with police, and even taking them to the homes where he said he swapped the firearms for methamphetamine, several of the firearms had not been recovered by police. "The protection of the public is a significant factor that must be considered, this being particularly important given the guns and ammunition you targeted," Judge Maude said.

The Crown asked for a starting point of five years' jail for the offending, but defence lawyer Kelly Hennessy asked for a sentence of two years so Laurent could then apply for home detention. Judge Maude said he accepted that five years' jail was an appropriate starting point.

Taking into account the mitigating factors - Laurent's early guilty pleas and co-operation with police - the judge gave a one-third reduction, leaving a term of three years four months' jail.

Judge Maude also ordered Laurent to pay $9000 reparation to the three homeowners he targeted.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE