Wairarapa police two steps ahead

Masterton police who recovered thousands of dollars worth of stolen batteries before the owner even realised they were missing have been praised.

On March 25, as police searched a Masterton property regarding another matter, they discovered commercial batteries worth $6170 which had been stolen the day before, the owner and former pilot, Jeffrey Sayer, told the Times-Age.

Mr Sayer spoke to the newspaper after the fourth man involved was sentenced in Masterton District Court.

The day after the batteries were stolen, Mr Sayer said he rang police and was told they were already in the garage at the police station.

"They did a good job of finding them even before I knew they were lost. All praise to the police. They get top marks."

The man at the property had told police he had found them at the river but they didn't believe the explanation, Mr Sayer said.

Four men were charged with theft - Christopher Lee Rushbrook, 23, and Conan Michael Mulholland, 27, both unemployed, Thomas Ron Carbin, 24, painter and Ashley Taylor, 26, forestry worker.

Rushbrook, Carbin and Taylor were previously dealt with by the court after pleading guilty to burglary.

The last to be sentenced, Mulholland, who also admitted to cultivating and the possession of cannabis, was sentenced to a community-based sentence for his part in the burglary when he appeared before Judge Bill Hastings in Masterton District Court.

It was his improved attitude and severing ties with "bad associations" which persuaded the judge to step back from community detention.

Mulholland and the other three men drove to Mr Sayer's semi-rural property on Upper Plain Rd on March 24 and, after determining there was no one home, three of them entered the property as one remained as look-out, the court was told.

Mulholland and two of the other accused stole four commercial deep-cycle batteries, two large deep-cycle Trojan batteries and four small black batteries, with a combined value of $6170.

Police went to Mulholland's home the day after the burglary where they found four cannabis tinnies in his bedroom and 13g of the drug. Three cannabis plants were found growing behind a sleepout on the same property. The batteries were also found.

Defence lawyer Ian Hard said his client had turned a corner with the support of family since he had been on electronically-monitored bail. He was working out and hadn't used drugs for "a very long time", he told the court.

"His attitude is good ... he has sheared his associations and been off drugs and alcohol for a very long time now," he said.

Judge Hastings said Mulholland was doing well since being away from the others charged with the battery theft.

"Your attitude has improved."

He said Mr Hard had "persuaded" him to allow Mulholland to continue to improve his behaviour.

Mulholland received 300 hours' community work, six months' supervision and must undertake alcohol and drug counselling.