Man admits Kerosene Creek thefts

A man has admitted robbing a tourist van at Kerosene Creek.

A Rotorua man has admitted breaking into six vehicles at a popular tourist spot and stealing $16,700 worth of property to fund his drug habit.

Sionne John Sevaki, 24, appeared in the Rotorua District Court via video link yesterday and entered guilty pleas for two drug charges and six theft charges.

The theft charges relate to incidents involving tourists' vehicles at the Kerosene Creek carpark between May 24 and June 4, this year.

According to the police summary of facts, Sevaki broke into six vehicles, stealing between $800 and $5000 of property from each.

It states the offending "carries consequences beyond the monetary and personal losses suffered by individual victims due to the damage caused to the reputation of Rotorua as a tourist destination".

Police carried out a search warrant on June 5 of Sevaki's property and uncovered a large quantity of stolen property, as well as drugs and drug paraphernalia.

In yesterday's Rotorua Daily Post, two Italian tourists who fell victim to Sevaki praised Rotorua police for the speedy recovery of their property.

In his statement to police, Sevaki said he committed the thefts to obtain money for his drug habit.

Judge Jocelyn Munro said given Sevaki's history and the number of charges he faced, he should be "prepared for a sentence of imprisonment".

Sevaki was remanded in custody and will appear in Rotorua District Court for sentencing on July 31.