Nelson shoplifter James Weir pleads guilty to new dishonesty charges, steals whisky and meat

James Weir during an earlier sentencing in the Nelson District Court. Photo / Tracy Neal

Habitual shoplifter James Dean Weir gave staff at Liquorland the thumbs up as he sauntered out of the store with a $40 bottle of whisky he hadn’t paid for.

Today, he was back in court where Judge Richard Russell told him that Nelson was “entitled to a break” from him, after multiple appearances for similar offending in recent years, some of which had landed him in prison.

Weir, wearing an ankle bracelet, clambered over a barrier in the courtroom to enter the dock, and appeared unfazed as the police recounted from the summary of facts what his most recent offending entailed.

In August last year, Weir, 31, went into Woolworths in central Nelson, despite being subject to a trespass order from the store, and took two bottles of cider worth $18 and left without paying.

He was back a couple of weeks later, picked up eight beers worth $40, and again left without paying.

On September 3, he was at New World supermarket in Nelson where he took a lamb product worth $189 and stuffed it up his jacket. But it fell from his clothing, and he was seen kicking it away.

The next day, he went into Z Energy and asked staff for cigarettes worth $92 but left without paying.

James Weir has pleaded guilty to new dishonesty charges. Photo / Tracy Neal

Weir later told police he had “already started smoking them” and so he wasn’t going to give them back.

On September 20, he went to an address in Stoke looking for accommodation but after he was refused a place to stay, he left taking a $350 bicycle from the property.

The owner suffered from a medical condition that left him unable to chase Weir to recover his bike, the police said.

On October 17, Weir went to The Warehouse in Nelson and walked out with $250 worth of items in a backpack.

On the same day, he turned up at Liquorland where he took the 700ml bottle of whisky and gave the staff a “thumbs up” as he left without paying.

A month later, he was back at Woolworths, where again he breached a trespass order to take alcohol and other items worth $183.99.

Later in the day, he went to New World and took $304 worth of meat before leaving via the self-checkout area without paying.

In the Nelson District Court, Weir pleaded guilty to two burglary charges, failing to answer bail, six shoplifting charges, unlawfully taking a bicycle, and another charge of wilful trespass linked to the recent crime spree.

While remanding him for sentence in April, Judge Russell told Weir that his situation was “serious”, and that prison was an inevitable starting point.

He said supermarkets, shops, and retail outlets in the region were “entitled to a break” from his activities.

Weir was remanded back on electronic bail with a warning that it would likely be revoked, and he would end up in custody until sentencing, if he offended again.

Weir’s recent crime spree was close on the heels of similar offending.

In October 2022, he challenged a supermarket store manager while walking out with hundreds of dollars’ worth of meat and asked: “what are you going to do about it?”

He also confronted a worker outside a workshop with a fake pistol.

In November that year, Weir was jailed after stealing hundreds of dollars’ worth of meat, some of which he stuffed in his jacket, and walked around carrying a fake gun.

He told police that he’d taken the meat “because he was hungry”.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.