KEY POINTS:
A young ballroom dancing champion has escaped convictions that could have wrecked his chances of representing New Zealand in competition overseas.
Timur Ramilevich Mullayanov, 18, and his sister have been New Zealand's amateur ballroom dancing champions for the past two years. But when times became hard, Mullayanov resorted to sleight of hand at two Cash Converters stores to steal jewellery.
The Papanui High School student pleaded guilty to the theft charges in Christchurch District Court yesterday.
Judge Jane Farish read the references from his school and ballroom dancing teacher and accepted his reason for needing cash quickly.
She discharged him without conviction but ordered him to pay back $450 to the pawn shops that bought the stolen rings.
Mullayanov said he had stolen the rings to support himself and his sister, who are from Russia and are living without parental support in New Zealand.
When he found money had been taken from their bank account, the siblings were left with no money for food or heating until a teacher found out what was happening and came to the rescue.
By then, Mullayanov had gone to a Cash Converters store with a cheap custom jewellery toe ring he had bought at a nearby store. While looking at the rings, he switched it for a ring valued at $979.
He used the same ploy at another shop with two rings and got jewellery worth $2920.
He sold these at a pawn shop using his own passport and his name and address.
Judge Farish said it was unsophisticated offending and he was always going to get caught.
She accepted that convictions would mean he would lose the ability to travel and represent New Zealand in competitions overseas, and may lose the right to remain in New Zealand.
She said the offending was an aberration at a time when Mullayanov was under great stress.
- NZPA
