Christchurch couple loses $100,000 in belongings after house burglary. Video / Supplied
A pregnant woman whose home was targeted in a $100,000 burglary, had not only baby clothes and her wedding ring stolen but also her passport, meaning she couldn’t visit her dying father overseas.
The woman had travelled from South Africa to New Zealand because she thought it was safe.
However, a judge told the offender, Santana Smith, in court: “You put all those beliefs down the toilet for her.”
Smith, 25, appeared at the Christchurch District Court on Friday for sentencing after she and an associate broke into two homes and “ransacked” them. One of the homes was that of a widow whose husband had recently died.
Hugh and Janene Burnett were stripped of all sentimental belongings after thieves ransacked their Christchurch home.
According to the summary of facts, between January 5 and 8 this year, Smith and an associate broke into the expecting couple Hugh and Janene Burnett’s Richmond home through a window while they were away on a camping trip.
Smith and her accomplice “ransacked” the house to the point that every room was littered with the Burnetts’ property.
More than 300 items were stolen including wedding rings, laptops, computers, electronic equipment, a TV, speakers, food, passports and nursery items for the baby.
The judge said, “to add insult to injury”, Smith loaded up the items into the Burnetts’ car and left.
The combined value of the property stolen was approximately $100,000.
The court heard how Janene Burnett could not visit her dying father in South Africa due to her passport being stolen. All her family pictures on her laptop were also “gone forever”.
Judge Phillips said Smith also smoked cigarettes in the house and put them out on the bedroom walls.
In November last year, Smith and an associate also targeted a widow’s home, whose husband of 33 years had died around a similar time to the burglary.
Hugh and Janene Burnett were stripped of all sentimental belongings after thieves ransacked their Christchurch home.
The woman’s engagement ring was stolen, as well as cameras containing pictures and videos of weddings and family footage.
Smith and an associate had also stolen a golf cart from a golf club.
Following the burglaries, police were “thrilled” to recover a “significant amount of the property” from both of them.
Hugh Burnett said police had found “a few” items stolen as well as property suspected to have been stolen from others.
“We’ve at least got some sentimental stuff back, so it’s a little bit of a win,” he said.
“We’ve had great support from friends and family, neighbours and even people we don’t know. It’s been pretty overwhelming.”
Smith’s lawyer Matt Smith said she has shown remorse, but was unable to pay back any reparation to the victims or make any emotional harm payments.
Hugh and Janene Burnett are still coming to terms with their home's burglary in which they lost belongings worth more than $100,000.
He asked the judge to impose a community-based sentence for his client, stating she needed rehabilitation.
However, Judge Kevin Phillips doubted Smith’s remorse, stating she had told her victims during a restorative justice meeting that she did not play a lead role in the burglaries, something the judge had “difficulties” with.
Judge Phillips said Smith’s victims had lost items that had no value to her but were “absolutely irreplaceable” to them.
“You were thoroughly and absolutely involved in it. There was no thought of the people you were victimising at the time.”
The court heard Smith had struggled with addiction issues, using meth at 18 and was abused in her family home.
