Girl Guide biscuit bandit still on the loose

A man has been convicted for receiving the stolen biscuits, but the actual thief remains unknown.

A biscuit thief who swiped eight cartons of Girl Guides biscuits from a hall in Kapiti last month is still on the loose.

But the man who received five boxes of the stolen biscuits will have to complete two weeks worth of community work, a court has ruled.

The eight cartons of Girl Guide biscuits, along with camping gear including nylon tents and gas burners, was stolen from the Paraparaumu Girl Guide Hall on October 9, a police spokeswoman said.

Police later received a call from a member of the public who said they noticed someone dumping what looked to be suspicious property at an undisclosed location.

A search of the area uncovered some of the boxes of biscuits, the spokeswoman said.

"Inquiries with the boxes revealed a suspect and police executed a warrant and located one of the boxes of biscuits at that person's premises, and it was sufficient to charge him with receiving," she said.

Yesterday, 20-year-old Joshua Truman was sentenced in Porirua District Court on a charge of receiving five boxes of stolen biscuits and two gas burners valued at $1500.

Truman pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 80 hours of community work, Wellington district communications manager Nick Bohm said.

Mr Bohm said while police still had not caught the person who initially took the biscuits from the Girl Guide hall, Truman had assisted police with their inquiries.

The Paraparaumu Girl Guides were disappointed their biscuits and camping gear was taken, but were thankful to the community for their generosity, GirlGuiding New Zealand spokeswoman Jane Smithson said.

She said the guides would have preferred the biscuits were not dumped.

"It would have been great if they would have been given to a local community organisation or a local food bank.

"The loss of those affects us, but the value and support the community has given has been fantastic and generous."

She said Girl Guide leaders used the theft as an opportunity to teach the girls about the importance of being honest and trustworthy.