The Star: October 26, 2023

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The Star Thursday October 26 2023 8 COURT Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz Parents-to-be lose $100k of items • By Emily Moorhouse A PREGNANT woman whose home was targeted in a $100,000 burglary, had not only baby clothes and her wedding ring stolen but also her passport, meaning she couldn’t visit her dying father overseas. The woman had travelled from South Africa to New Zealand because she thought it was safe. However, Judge Kevin Phillips told the offender, Santana Smith, in court: “You put all those beliefs down the toilet for her.” Smith, 25, appeared at the district court last week for sentencing after she and an associate broke into two homes and “ransacked” them. One of the homes was that of a widow whose husband had recently died. According to the summary of facts, between January 5 and 8 this year, Smith and an associate broke into the expecting couple Hugh and Janene Burnett’s Richmond home through a window while they were away on a camping trip. Smith and her accomplice “ransacked” the house to the point that every room was littered with the Burnetts’ property. More than 300 items were stolen including wedding rings, laptops, computers, electronic equipment, a TV, speakers, food, RANSACKED: Hugh and Janene Burnett’s Richmond home was stripped of all sentimental belongings. passports and nursery items for the baby. Judge Phillips said, “to add insult to injury”, Smith loaded up the items into the Burnetts’ car and left. The combined value of the property stolen was approximately $100,000. The court heard how Burnett could not visit her dying father in South Africa due to her passport being stolen. All her family pictures on her laptop were also “gone forever”. Judge Phillips said Smith also smoked cigarettes in the house and put them out on the bedroom walls. In November last year, Smith and an associate also targeted a widow’s home, whose husband of 33 years had died around a similar time to the burglary. The woman’s engagement ring was stolen, as well as cameras containing pictures and videos of weddings and family footage. Smith and an associate had also stolen a golf cart from a golf club. Following the burglaries, police were “thrilled” to recover a “significant amount of the property” from both of them. Hugh Burnett said police had found “a few” items stolen as well as property suspected to have been stolen from others. “We’ve at least got some sentimental stuff back, so it’s a little bit of a win,” he said. “We’ve had great support from friends and family, neighbours and even people we don’t know. It’s been pretty overwhelming.” Smith’s lawyer Matt Smith said she has shown remorse, but was unable to pay back any reparation to the victims or make any emotional harm payments. He asked the judge to impose a community-based sentence for his client, stating she needed rehabilitation. However, Judge Phillips doubted Smith’s remorse, stating she had told her victims during a restorative justice meeting that she did not play a lead role in the burglaries, something the judge had “difficulties” with. He said Smith’s victims had lost items that had no value to her but were “absolutely irreplaceable” to them. “You were thoroughly and absolutely involved in it. There was no thought of the people you were victimising at the time.” The court heard Smith had struggled with addiction issues, using meth at 18 and was abused in her family home. Judge Phillips sentenced Smith to three years imprisonment. As Smith could not pay reparation to any of the victims, this was not sought by the judge. This report was produced by Open Justice – Te Pātītī, a Public Interest Journalism initiative funded by NZ on Air This Week in Biketober Let’s pick a path Water & coast Climate action Land use & biodiversity Saturday, October 28 Last day for Big Biketober Passport Workshop: DIY wooden bike trailer Sunday, October 29 Sunrise Ride One Day Challenge Dogs on Bikes Monday, October 30 RAD Club Night $ Tuesday, October 31 RAD Salvage Squad Cargo Bike Picnic Tips & Tricks for riding your bike in all weather Bike Rave 4 Climate WORD Whanau Ride & BBQ RAD Bikes Drop-in Sundays Biketober Passport Prizegiving + Guest Speaker We’ve heard what’s important to you, and now we’re asking you to think about your priorities for the outcomes and actions we set for our future. Thanks, Ōtautahi Christchurch. Pedal on! Closes 3 December 2023. » Go to biketoberchch.nz for further information and bookings
Thursday October 26 2023 The Star Latest Canterbury news at starnews.co.nz COURT 9 Elderly woman robbed at knifepoint • By Emily Moorhouse AN ELDERLY woman thought she was going to die when a stranger walked through her retirement village front door and held a knife to her throat. Kalib Kerr-Millar then searched her home before stealing the woman’s late husband’s watches and fleeing in her car. The 27-year-old appeared at the district court on Tuesday, where he admitted two burglaries of elderly people and driving on the wrong side of the road as he left the scene. He pleaded guilty to a raft of charges including aggravated burglary, theft, assault with a weapon, burglary, unlawfully getting into and taking a motor vehicle and dangerous driving. The summary of facts said on July 12 last year, Kerr-Millar was travelling with an associate from Timaru to Christchurch in a stolen vehicle. The pair filled up the car with $218 of petrol at a BP station on Evans St, Timaru, and left without paying. When they were driving through Methven, police noticed the stolen vehicle and used road spikes to deflate its tyres. The pair then began to overtake other cars at speed, fishtailing across the road and accelerating towards officers preparing to spike the vehicle again. Kerr-Millar and his associate abandoned the vehicle and Kerr- Millar hid from police. Between 2.35pm and 7.15pm that day, he went to an 81-yearold’s home in a retirement complex on Ross St, in Darfield. He entered through the external garage door and attempted to steal a Toyota IST but was unable to start the vehicle because it had a steering lock. He stole a black shoulder bag containing film, a camera and a pair of socks before leaving. About 7.15pm, he entered another home at a retirement village in Darfield, through the front door. The 80-year-old occupant was watching rugby. Kerr-Millar approached her holding a knife and demanded she hand over her money and car keys. He then looked through her medication before demanding again that she hand over her keys and money. The woman looked for the SCARED: An elderly woman thought she was going to die when a stranger walked through the front door of her retirement village home and held a knife to her throat. PHOTO: GETTY keys in a drawer that had some of her late husband’s watches in it. Kerr-Millar grabbed some of the watches and put them in his pocket before searching the drawer for money and taking the woman’s car keys. He also took her handbag and, holding the knife to the left side of her body, walked her to her car. She opened the external garage door so he could drive her 2017 Mazda 3 away. As she did so, she closed and locked the internal garage door to get away This report was produced by Open Justice – Te Pātītī, a Public Interest Journalism initiative funded by NZ on Air from him. When Kerr-Millar realised she had locked the internal door, he crashed through it, pinning her to the wall. He then placed the knife against her throat and traced it back and forth. Although he did not cut her, she could feel the blade against her neck and thought she was going to die. She suffered a lumbar sprain as a result of the incident. Kerr-Millar then left in her car. Shortly afterwards, police saw him driving erratically at speeds of up to 160km/h on the wrong side of the road in the stolen car when there was heavy rain and surface flooding in the Canterbury region. Police stopped him and found the stolen black shoulder bag, the woman’s handbag, clothing from the first burglary, watches and a large knife. Kerr-Millar was remanded in custody until his sentencing in February next year. • Readers respond to two-year jail sentence, pages 17 & 18 Springtime Mobility Savings SHOP NOW FOR UNBEATABLE SELECTION AND SAVINGS ON SELECTED NEW PRIDE, CTM AND INVACARE SCOOTERS FREE $500 Accessories with Scooter Purchase Wide range of accessories available: Sherpa coloured backpacks Safety flags Windscreens All-weather storage covers Only while stocks last 113 Blenheim Rd, Christchurch | 0800-666-222 | www.moremobility.co.nz | christchurch@moremobility.co.nz Open 9-5pm Monday to Friday & Saturday 9am-2pm FREE Home Demonstration available.
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The Star: October 26, 2023

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