Quake looter jailed for 17 months

A man who broke into a damaged Christchurch house after the massive Canterbury 7.1 quake was today jailed for 17 months.

Dwayne Andrew Clarke, 24, was sentenced in Christchurch District Court today after being convicted of burgling an Oxford Terrace property.

Police said that on October 30 Clarke, an alcoholic, went to the house which had been damaged in the earthquake and been condemned, the Christchurch Court News website reported.

He smashed a glass door to the garage to gain entry and then searched the house, selecting items which were placed outside to be picked up later.

Defence counsel Paul Johnson said Clarke acknowledged that imprisonment was appropriate due to his "huge problem" with alcohol.

Judge Michael Radford said that a probation officer assessed Clarke as showing little remorse for the break-in and described him as a high risk of re-offending.

The prison sentence included punishment for breaching a 40-hour community work sentence.

Judge Radford said Clarke had seven prior convictions for breaching court orders and had made no effort to complete the community work.

- NZPA