KEY POINTS:
A judge has been left to sort out a Lotto ticket riddle as he decides the verdict in the trial of a man, described as a highly skilled thief, accused of targeting cars at summer camping grounds.
Marek Krysztof Wrobel has admitted 26 car break-ins, but he denies
18 more. Judge David Saunders remanded him in custody to hear the verdict on Friday morning, after two days of evidence and submissions ended in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.
Defence lawyer Paul Norcross said the Crown case was left with only similar fact evidence, which was not enough to prove the charges.
Crown prosecutor Barnaby Hawes said it was circumstantial evidence, but all the vehicle break-ins had Wrobel's "signature".
The offences Wrobel admitted and the ones he denied were "so strongly similar" that the logical conclusion was that the same person had committed all 44 break-ins. If Wrobel was not the offender in all of them, it meant a second highly skilled car thief was working in the same area at the same time.
The offences he denied at Picton and Totaranui occurred when he was in each area, on nights when there were gaps in the offending he did admit.
"The coincidence is so staggering it can safely be ignored," said Mr Hawes.
But Mr Norcross said the charges in dispute did not fit Wrobel's pattern. He never damaged vehicles, and in two of these cases cars had been damaged. He targeted only cash and vouchers, and in two of these cases jewellery had been taken. He had admitted many offences, but always denied these 18.
Both lawyers targeted the Lotto evidence in their closing addresses.
When he was arrested, Wrobel was found with eight tickets or vouchers, and the Crown said several of them could not have been bought by him.
One was bought before he reached the South Island, and others were bought in Motueka, Kaikoura and Cheviot at times that were too close together on the same day.
But the defence pointed out that although victims said Lotto tickets were taken, none of these tickets were found in Wrobel's possession. And none of the ones he was caught with had been shown to be stolen.
Mr Norcross suggested the Lotto evidence appeared to show that there had been someone else in Wrobel's rental vehicle. He was not able to say who it was.
After break-ins at coastal camping grounds across the north of the South Island, Kaikoura, Okains Bay, and Akaroa over the New Year 2005-06 period, Wrobel was carrying $2300 cash when he was caught.
- NZPA