A Dunedin man’s decision to steal an $8000 bike and sell it to Cash Converters for $200 was "not the smartest move", a judge says.
Laughlin David Horne (22) was "down and out" on September 25, counsel Chris Lynch said.
The defendant was homeless and recently ended a relationship, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.
As Horne walked down Eglinton Rd he saw a mountain bike in an open garage.
The temptation proved too much and he walked down the 15m driveway, took the bike and rode it 2km to Cash Converters in South Dunedin.
It is unclear whether he knew how valuable the stolen item was but he sold it for $200, which he later spent on accommodation.
Once the bike’s owner contacted police, it did not take long for them to track it down and from there they quickly fingered Horne as the culprit.
"He made a full and frank admission to police immediately," Ms Lynch said.
The man had been hooked on synthetic cannabis in the past but his counsel said he had "got his act together" since then.
Judge Dominic Flatley said this was Horne’s second burglary conviction and as such, he would now be considered a recidivist.
He noted the defendant had to go to some effort to steal the bike.
"This is not a situation where the bike was resting on a fence next to the footpath. Against that, it was relatively unsophisticated offending and the bike was recovered," the judge said.
"It probably wasn’t the smartest move to take it to Cash Converters, given it’s value, but it was good for the victim."
Horne was sentenced to five months’ community detention, 12 months’ intensive supervision and $270 reparation.
Judge Flatley also imposed judicial monitoring, under which he will receive a report every three months on the defendant’s progress.
"Any further conviction for burglary, I can almost guarantee you now, Mr Horne, you will go to prison," he said.
