Raid on quake-damaged house admitted

File photo / Greg Bowker

Home detention has been ruled out for a Christchurch man who raided an earthquake-damaged house across the road to steal its hot water cylinder for scrap metal.

Police allege that Peter John Blissett, 42, acted with a 43-year-old co-offender who has not yet pleaded to the burglary charge and remains in custody on remand.

Blissett admitted the burglary when he appeared today at a Christchurch District Court sitting before Judge David Saunders inside the men's prison.

Defence counsel Lucy Wright said Blissett had made no application for bail and did not ask for release pending the sentencing at the Rangiora Court House on May 3.

The judge asked for a pre-sentence report but said he would not ask for a report that would allow a home detention sentence to be considered.

Police prosecutor Stewart Sluis said Blissett and the co-offender went to the house across the road from theirs in Cashel Street on the night of April 9, after allegedly discussing taking the cylinder. They took a screwdriver, crescent spanner, and a pair of tin snips.

The house had a red sticker and was unsafe to enter.

Mr Sluis said the offenders turned off the water supply at the street before entering the house through a side window.

They removed the cylinder from the cupboard and carried it into the hallway where they were cutting the shell away to get to the copper cylinder inside when the police arrived and they ran off.

Blissett was found at his home where he said he had decided to take the cylinder because he was short of money. He has previous convictions.

- NZPA