Freedom short lived for repeat burglar

Photo / Brett Phibbs

Robin Philip Reti had just been released from prison after serving a sentence for burglary when he committed five more offences.

Now the 44-year-old unemployed man from the Whangarei suburb of Otangarei is back behind bars.

He has been sentenced to two years and nine months for his latest spate of crimes, against commercial premises in central Whangarei.

The offences were committed while he was on post-release conditions for an earlier burglary in which he stole an ATM card and fleeced its owner of $4000.

In the latest offences, he hit two businesses - Esquires coffee lounge and the Fruit and Vege Warehouse - twice.

Judge Duncan Harvey said Reti walked into Esquires about 1pm on May 13 and stood in line as if to order coffee.

When the shop assistant became busy, Reti went into the manager's office and stole $200 cash.

He was filmed by surveillance cameras.

On the morning of May 29, he smashed the front window of Northern Hospitality in Dent St, cutting himself in the process.

The alarm went off and he left.

Reti was identified through blood left at the scene.

About an hour later, he went to the Fruit and Vege Warehouse in Maunu, where he emptied a till containing $478 cash and stole a cellphone valued at $479.

On June 13, he went back to the same premises and stole $960 cash and a laptop valued at $1500.

He was again identified through blood left at the scene.

The same afternoon, Reti went back to Esquires but left when he could not find anything to steal.

He stole more than $3000 cash and other items during his crime spree.

Judge Harvey said the community needed protection from people such as Reti, who he said was determined to commit serious crimes.

Whangarei residents had had enough of burglaries and those caught should not expect a great deal of sympathy from the courts.

Judge Harvey sentenced Reti to two years and eight months plus an additional month for breaching a court order.

- APN