The Star: June 01, 2017

10
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News
Thursday June 1 2017
Thou shall not steal
• By Andrew King
PEOPLE ATTENDING church
during the evening have been
coming out to find their cars
broken into, with one parishioner
losing $5000.
Cars parked at St Teresa of
Lisieux Parish on Puriri St,
Riccarton, and Our Lady of
Victories Parish on Main South
Rd, Sockburn, have been targeted
on Saturday and Sunday nights
in recent weeks while the owners
attended mass.
St Teresa priest Father Antoine
Thomas said little things like
passports and bags had been taken
from cars. A woman returned
to her car a few months ago to
find it had been broken into and
$5000 missing.
Father Antoine said he did not
know why the woman had $5000
in her vehicle.
“There must be a really wellorganised
gang getting around.
We have installed more lighting,
spoken with community watch
and asked for volunteers to patrol
the car park,” he said.
Sixty-four cars were broken into
last week in the Riccarton, Upper
Riccarton and Sockburn areas.
Two cars were stolen and another
four attempts had been made to
steal other cars after the owners
discovered the ignition barrels
had been forced, police said.
Majority of the cars were targeted
on Centennial Ave, Rattray
St, Matipo St, Mandeville St and
Brockworth Pl, with 20 broken
into on Saturday night alone.​
It comes after about 12 vehicles
were broken into around the
Three Elements Chinese Restaurant
and the New Zealand
Institute of Sport’s Christchurch
campus car park on Wharenui
Rd, Upper Riccarton, a week
UPSET:
Father
Antoine
Thomas of
St Teresa
of Lisieux,
Riccarton, is
disappointed
that cars are
being stolen
from the car
park.
earlier.
Said Senior Sergeant Pete Stills:
“These thefts are a pain in the
proverbial to the owners as there
is very little taken normally, but
the clean-up cost is often timeconsuming
and costly.’’
•Anyone with information
about the thefts can phone
363 7400. Alternatively,
information can also be
reported anonymously to
Crimestoppers on 0800 555
111.
• By Gabrielle Stuart
POLICE WILL not say if they
plan to charge a pensioner
over the crash near Sumner
which tragically killed his
wife, 73-year-old Maureen
Imrie.
Bruce Imrie was driving
home with his wife in the
afternoon on March 25 when
he crashed.
Witnesses saw the car drive
straight off the road, crashing
through a barrier and down a
bank into the sea.
They were able to pull Mr
Imrie out of the car, but the
car was swept away to sea by
an undertow before they were
able to rescue Mrs Imrie.
A police spokeswoman
said the investigation into the
crash was still ongoing. She
would not say if police were
considering laying charges.
It comes as West Coast man
Michael Saunders is facing
charges over the death of his
two-year-old daughter, Emily,
The Star
Tickets on
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Pensioner waits
to hear if he
will be charged
who was swept from the sport
utility vehicle he was driving
across a flooded river, and
the death of Barry Petrie, 66,
who died while trying to save
her.
Last year Christchurch
man Tula Ram Chhetri was
charged and convicted of
dangerous driving causing
death over the crash which
killed his wife, Mon Chhetri,
and baby son, Aaron Chhetri.
He had been driving the
family home to Christchurch,
and pulled out in front of
another car at an intersection.
Mr Imrie said he was not
worried by the investigation,
but just hoped it would be
completed soon.
He said he had told police
all he could, but said he had
“blanked out” before the
crash.
He was still struggling with
the loss of his wife of 55 years,
but was being supported by
his family, he said.
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