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A burglar who stole building materials from an orchard learned that crime has consequences the hard way – it ruined his chance of getting a job and he was turned down for house insurance.
Brodie Lewis then went back to court trying to have his conviction overturned, but a judge turned him down.
The High Court at Whanganui was told that Lewis, accompanied by a female associate, drove his Toyota vehicle with a trailer through an open gate onto a commercial kiwifruit orchard on the evening of June 26, 2022, to where a shed was being built.
They took $1520 worth of building materials and drove away.
The pair were stopped by police with the stolen materials at 3.15am, but Lewis was able to bluff his way through their questions, and was allowed to go on his way.
When the goods were later reported stolen, police gained a warrant to search Lewis’ property and found the materials in his backyard.
Lewis later pleaded guilty to burglary.
The female associate was given police diversion, meaning she did not have to face charges in court, but Lewis was sentenced to five months and two weeks of home detention, after Judge Jonathan Krebs turned down his application for a discharge without conviction.
Lewis then appealed the sentence and sought a discharge without conviction in the High Court.