Third man in jail for rifling tourist

A man who raided tourists' cars left at a remote carpark at Mount Aspiring National Park has been jailed for nine months.

Craig Douglas Steere is the third man to be jailed for thefts from cars at the Raspberry Flat carpark, about 80km from Wanaka in February.

Police who stopped their car found the trio with property worth $9186, taken from four cars, most of which belonged to tourists, some from overseas.

Christchurch District Court Judge Murray Abbott, jailed Steere on the seven charges of thefts from cars, but granted him leave to apply for home detention. The shorter sentence was because he had a lesser criminal record and did not initially know of plans for the thefts.

"Offending of this nature against tourists impacts adversely upon the reputation of this country as a safe destination for visitors," Judge Abbott said yesterday.

Defence counsel Michael Starling said Steere, a 42-year-old beneficiary, was needed at home to help care for his elderly mother.

- NZPA