Mathew Tyler, 31, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting a raft of dishonesty and driving charges.
The most notable was a charge of burglary which represented multiple occasions when the defendant entered deceased man Peter Robb’s home in Roslyn.
Mr Robb made global headlines following an internet romance gone wrong in 2009 when
a German woman, who he had met on MySpace and spent almost a month with, called for help, prompting an armed-police raid.
Mr Robb was discovered dead in his home last year.
His death was treated as unexplained and referred to the coroner.
Between August and November 2024 Tyler repeatedly entered Robb’s address and took items including stamps, cutlery, antiques and motorcycle parts.
He sold the items online and profited by about $3500.
On November 13, Tyler and his associate, a 40-year-old man who has denied the charges against him, went to the address three times.
They searched it for valuables and returned later that day, calling in an associate for help.
The trio then used a drill and hacksaw to cut through a padlocked chain on the front gate, alerting neighbours, who called the police.
The defendants moved a Triumph motorcycle on to a ute before two of them took it to the East Taieri Dairy where they had arranged to meet a buyer.
The buyer gave Tyler $700 cash, which was to be divvied up between the three defendants.
The pair who sold the bike returned to a South Dunedin address where police were waiting to arrest them.
A search of Tyler’s address uncovered antiques belonging to Mr Robb.
The defendant admitted the offending to police and said he was "doing it for the money".
In the months before the burglary, Tyler had also racked up his third, fourth and fifth charges for suspended driving, on one occasion speeding down narrow residential streets in a stolen car, attempting to avoid police.
He sped at a police vehicle, swerving at the last second to avoid a collision.
Tyler initially claimed he was not the driver, but later pleaded guilty.
Judge David Robinson noted the defendant was abusing drugs and "things were really unravelling" for him at the time of the offending.
He said there was a high level of premeditation in the offending and noted the property was "vulnerable" to burglars.
Tyler was sentenced to two years nine months’ imprisonment and disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Judge Robinson declined an application by the Otago Daily Times to photograph the defendant.
