Quake raid on liquor shop brings jail term

Stealing alcohol from a liquor store on the day the Christchurch earthquake struck has seen a local man jailed for more than two years. Photo / Dean Purcell

A liquor shop raid on the day of the Christchurch February earthquake has brought another lengthy jail term for a man who has spent nine of the past 10 years in prison.

Nicholas Antonio McGregor, 27, was a regular customer at a suburban Woolston liquor outlet he broke into with a co-offender.

They were getting the liquor ready to take away when the manager of the outlet arrived, and McGregor told him not to worry about it as he would be insured.

He carried on trying to take the liquor because the shop manager could not get through to the police on his cell phone.

Defence counsel Peter Dyhrberg said McGregor had recently demonstrated positive initiatives, had weaned himself off alcohol and he and his partner were expecting a child.

He said the damage to the premises amounted to about $1000.

Judge Stephen Erber said McGregor also had a breach of bail charge, two breaches of release conditions, and his sixth charge of driving while disqualified.

Judge Erber said McGregor took advantage of the state of chaos in the city to commit the burglary.

He jailed him for two years and three months, ordered a reparation payment of $1000, and disqualified him from driving for 12 months starting from December 2011 when his current disqualification runs out.

Another man who reversed his vehicle into the same liquor store and caused $40,000 damage to steal two bottles of bourbon, was also sentenced to two years three months in prison.

Huikoma Mitchell, 21, also admitted burglary of a house, and driving recklessly while drunk.

Judge Erber said Mitchell had a bad list of previous convictions, with three aggravated robberies.

He was also on parole when the burglaries were committed and his probation report said he was a very high risk of further offending.

He ordered a reparation payment of $15,000 and disqualified Mitchell from driving for 12 months.

- NZPA