A 40-year-old Masterton man already serving a prison sentence was convicted of burglary on Thursday at the Masterton District Court and sentenced to a term of one year and three months' imprisonment.
Mita Phillip Hadfield, who is serving a two-year and eight month sentence for offences which occurred three weeks after the burglary, will serve the sentences concurrently.
Senior Sergeant Garry Wilson, prosecuting, said that in the early hours of March 5, Hadfield went to an address in Wakelin St, Carterton. While the occupants of the house, who were not known to him, were asleep he entered through an unlocked ranchslider at the rear of the property. He took a laptop and two cellphones from the kitchen and living area of the house. He then went into an unlocked garage where he loaded various items into bags and bins.
Police later took fingerprints from a bin in the garage which identified Hadfield.
Lawyer Ian Hard said his client had pleaded guilty at the earliest opportunity.
