Judge Denise Clark said Flight’s reasons for stealing were not an excuse, but an explanation of why she had offended so often. She noted it was “difficult” for those living in emergency housing.
A police summary of facts released to the Rotorua Daily Post showed she targeted Bunnings stores for expensive items to shoplift.
On October 9 last year, she went to Bunnings Rotorua with an associate and placed items in her trolley, including a stake light valued at $25 and an 18-volt four-piece Fusion Kit powertool valued at $1099.
Flight passed the items to her associate who put them in the back seat of his car, which was parked in the trade area. While trying to leave the drive-through area, security tried to stop them, but they said they had not bought anything and continued driving.
On November 26, she went to Bunnings Rotorua with an associate and a small child, took a box of nine AEG power tools valued at $2199 and placed it in her trolley. She went to the checkout and scanned it, but kept walking. A staff member asked her for a receipt and she replied that her partner had paid for them, before walking out. CCTV footage showed there were other items in the trolley she did not pay for.
On February 10 this year, she went to Mitre 10 in Tauranga with an associate and took a Makita eight-piece power tool kit valued at $2229. They went to pay for the items at the checkout, but the card declined. They walked out and refused to pay.
On March 19 this year, she went to Bunnings Whakatāne and took a six-piece Makita power tool set valued at $1749. She gave other items to the checkout operator, but not the power tool set.
When the staff member scanned the other items, she quickly left without making an attempt to pay for the power tool set.
Her other minor offending began on September 18 at Countdown on Fairy Springs Rd when she concealed nearly $100 worth of groceries in a baby capsule. She paid for some items, but not the ones she had hidden.
On December 2 last year, she took gardening supplies, a Makita 18V blower and a Ryobi 18V line trimmer from Bunnings Rotorua and tried to walk out of the garden section without paying. A staff member recognised her from the November 26 incident and asked to see a receipt, but she walked past. The staff member grabbed the gardening supplies and the blower but was unable to get the line trimmer, valued at $248.
On January 28 this year, she again went to Bunnings Rotorua and put power tools on a trolley. She went to the checkout to pay, but her card declined. She asked her associate to pay and their card declined, too. Flight tried to leave but was stopped by staff.
On February 6 this year, Flight went to Bunnings Mount Maunganui with a young child and put a large box of Ryobi power tools on her trolley valued at $849. She walked out without paying, despite being approached.
January, February and March this year saw more stealing, including $75 worth of petrol from BP Te Ngae Rd, $568 worth of power tools from Bunnings in Hamilton, $40 worth of petrol from Mobil on Old Taupō Rd, $132 worth of petrol from the Mobil in Tokoroa and $63 worth of petrol from Z in Whakatāne - she later told police she did the latter because the gas in her car was on empty and she needed to get home.
On March 22 she took pies, cheese sticks and a drink from Quality Bakers on Brookland Rd before walking out. She later told police she needed school lunches and had spent all her money.
The final theft she was charged with was on May 21 this year, when she walked out of Countdown Central Mall with a trolley-load of groceries valued at $300 with another offender.
The charge of unlawfully accessing a computer related to an incident at an emergency housing motel on Fenton St on November 22 last year, when she ordered nearly $132 worth of pizza from Domino’s. When the pizza was delivered, her transaction declined. She then tried to deceitfully change the amount she was paying to $1.31, which was accepted, the summary of facts said.
However, the Domino’s worker saw what she had done and told her to pay in full, but Flight said her benefit had stopped and she had no money to get food for her children.
The charge of intentional damage came after she had a fight with her partner in their emergency housing accommodation on February 15. Flight smashed several windows with a stick before threatening to assault her partner.
Flight’s lawyer, Dafydd Malcolm, told Judge Clark that Flight had spent some time in custody on remand before being granted 24-hour electronic-monitored bail, and was then on a curfew for 24 hours.
During the time out of custody she had moved back to her father’s in Kawerau and was doing well, he said.
Judge Clark said she did not want to interfere with her good progress, so asked Flight to give her an assurance in court she would abide by a community-based sentence if the judge was to exercise such leniency.
Flight agreed, and Judge Clark sentenced her to three months’ community detention in Kawerau between the hours of 8pm and 7am, and 12 months’ intensive supervision. This meant she needed to attend and complete courses, including a women’s empowerment programme and budgeting and gambling programmes.
Judge Clark said she would monitor Clark closely, and wanted her back before the court on March 5 for a progress report.
“I’m expecting to see you are continuing to work well.”
She did not order any of the $10,000 reparations be paid because Flight was not in a position to pay.
“It is really important this is the last time you put yourself before the court. Do you think you can do all of this?” Judge Clark asked Flight, to which Flight replied: “Yes, definitely.”
