A burglar who stole a $2700 ring from a main street jewellery store was sorry to upset the retail assistant, but his motives were driven by love.
Jarrod Bennett had planned to propose to his girlfriend, but when stopped by police he told them he “must have had a twin out there wearing the same clothing” and it was probably him they were after.
“He stole it because he wanted to propose to his partner. It was spontaneous behaviour,” defence lawyer Mark Dollimore said.
The 26-year-old was sentenced in the Nelson District Court to just over two years in prison for the burglary, part of a spree in which Bennett stole items worth $8000.
They included the ring, which Bennett returned but it was by then devalued by half, two brand new Samsung cellphones from a retail outlet, alcohol and cartons of cigarettes.
“I’ll pay it all back,” Bennett said via video link from a prison cell, where he had been in custody for five months awaiting sentence.
Because it would take him about 16 years to repay the amount, Judge Tony Snell did not impose a reparation order.
He said all victims were businesses likely with insurance cover, but accepted they would have excesses to cover.
Bennett had earlier admitted charges of robbery by assault and three shoplifting charges committed in March and April this year.
Dollimore said Bennett’s files showed a “chronic history” of mental health challenges, but Judge Snell said he “didn’t appear affected by mental health” at the time.
He accepted Bennett had an “enduring mental illness” but there was no link between that and the offending.
He acknowledged Bennett’s “well-crafted apology letter” was genuine.
“You make no excuses for what you did and you say that when you reflected on the victims you now recognise they were affected, particularly the woman in the jewellery store,” Judge Snell said.
Bennett’s spree began on March 31 with the theft of two bottles of brandy from a liquor store and ended days later with the theft of the ring.
On April 2, Bennett went into a central Nelson Spark retail store, asked to see two cellphones worth $5010, and fled with them when they were placed on the counter.
On the morning of April 4 Bennett stole a $949 gaming console from The Warehouse in Nelson. He asked to see it, then grabbed it and ran when the staff member brought it out from behind the counter.
Earlier that day, he stole tobacco and cartons of cigarettes worth between $1500 and $2000 from a Nelson dairy.
As the cashier tried to stop Bennett, they were smacked on the hand and threatened.
The offence formed the lead charge of robbery by assault, but Judge Snell accepted there was low-level violence.
Later that morning, Bennett went to Pascoes jewellery store in central Nelson and asked to see a particular ring.
The ring, worth $2700, was placed on the counter but Bennett grabbed it and ran off.
He later returned it, but its value had halved, police said.
Judge Snell said they were “brazen thefts” of high-value goods taken by a similar method each time.
“You asked to look at the item, then fled, never to be seen again.”
Bennett would be eligible for parole after serving a third of his two-year and two-month prison sentence.
Dollimore told NZME outside court there was no word on Bennett’s pending nuptials, and that the relationship was “likely over”.
