Thief who targeted tourists jailed

Queenstown Mayor Clive Geddes described thefts at a Mt Aspiring National Park carpark as "the single largest threat to the sound reputation we enjoy". Picture / Otago Daily Times

A man said to have undermined much of the tourist industry's promotion work by stealing from tourists' cars has been sentenced to 28 months in jail.

Shane William Pedely had damaged New Zealand's reputation as a safe destination with his raids on cars left in the Raspberry Flat carpark in Mount Aspiring National Park, 50km northwest of Wanaka, Christchurch District Court Judge Michael Crosbie said.

Pedely, 32, unemployed, had asked for his case to be transferred to Christchurch for sentencing because he had family support there, after pleading guilty in the Dunedin court.

He admitted 30 charges of thefts from cars, 15 of unlawfully interfering with vehicles, one of having implements to break into cars, and a breach of bail.

He has children from a previous relationship, and his present partner is pregnant. But the pre-sentence report said Pedely had also been using cannabis, and had committed the break-ins to feed his use of P (pure methamphetamine). He had offended because he had no money and outstanding fines totalling $84,000.

Judge Crosbie decided it was pointless to make a reparation order for the $16,554 of cash and property still missing, according to a list provided by Crown prosecutor Rosemary Roberts. Goods worth about $9000 had been recovered.

Police kept watch on the carpark after many thefts from cars were reported by people walking or tramping in the area of Mount Aspiring, the Cascade Saddle, and Glenorchy.

There was a raid on 12 vehicles on January 21.

A month later police set up a roadblock and stopped a car containing Pedely and two other men after another four cars were raided.

Pedely, the driver, was wearing jeans and sunglasses stolen during the January 21 raids.

The other two men have yet to come before the court.

Pedely's guilty pleas prompted the Mayor of Queenstown and the Lakes District, Clive Geddes, to write to the sentencing judge. He said thefts from cars in road-end and roadside parks "pose the single largest threat to the sound reputation we enjoy as a resort community".

"National and international travellers are the economic lifeblood of the Lakes District and the future prosperity of this community relies largely upon its ability to provide a safe and secure environment for travellers to enjoy.

"The cost to the community as a whole is potentially devastating because once lost, a secure reputation is extremely difficult to re-establish," Mr Geddes wrote..

Defence lawyer David Ruth said Pedely was sorry for his offending and was motivated to make changes in his life. He had "kicked the habit" of his main addiction.

The offending began as spur-of-the-moment thefts, but his success emboldened him to carry on.

Judge Crosbie told Pedely: "The scale of your offending must be seen as an almost single-handed undermining of a huge amount of the work that the New Zealand tourism sector does."

After the sentencing, one of the several spectators present said: "Thank you, Your Honour."

- NZPA