Car 'addiction' brings jail term

A 22-year-old man said to have "an addiction to entering and taking vehicles" was sentenced on his 19th, 20th, and 21st charges of taking a motor vehicle, in the Christchurch District Court held in the Rangiora Court House today.

Brody Omar Spencer was also being sentenced on three charges of entering motor vehicles, robbery, disqualified driving, and a breach of release conditions.

Defence counsel Elizabeth Bulger said Spencer's pre-sentence report was full of doom and gloom, including that his family had withdrawn their support of him.

She said when he was in prison he was in the medium to high security unit and had quite limited options for rehabilitation courses.

Judge Philip Moran said Spencer's desire to pinch motor vehicles was an addiction and was combined with an alcohol addiction.

He said on November 12 Spencer broke into a motor vehicle and hid in it until police found him.

In the same month he broke into a holiday home in Punakaiki and helped himself to the food in the house. He slept there for a night.

On November 18 he failed to report to his probation officer and four days later he stole a car and a German tourist's gear.

The next day he took another car, and the day after that he took a car and stole more property.

Each time he took a car he drove it while disqualified.

Judge Moran said the reparation report exceeded $4000 but as Spencer already owed $15,000 in reparations for previous offences he did not add to that amount.

He said Spencer's addictions had reached alarmingly harmful levels, and his daily use of cannabis and alcohol were the reason he kept committing the crimes.

The judge said Spencer was an extremely high risk of reoffending and sentenced him to 30 months' prison and disqualified him from driving for a year.

- NZPA