Crime spree teen pleads guilty

BY SALLY KIDSON

A Christchurch teenager who embarked on a five-day crime spree through the South Island has pleaded guilty to all charges with more to follow.

Andrej Michael Schwaab appeared in the Nelson District Court today on a raft of charges including possession of an air rifle, unlawfully taking motor vehicles and illegally entering properties.

Police said Schwaab and his 15-year-old associate were likely to face more charges.

The two teenagers began a rampage across the top of the South Island on Friday. They were finally stopped in a stolen Jaguar with road spikes, and at gunpoint, on State Highway 6 near Nelson yesterday.

They had a loaded air rifle in the back of the stolen car and police say they had ''no intention of stopping''.

Schwaab had also failed to appear in Christchurch District Court on Monday for sentencing.

Judge Tony Zohrab remanded Schwaab in custody for sentencing on August 24.

The 15-year-old associate, who appeared in Nelson Youth Court and cannot be identified, was remanded in the custody of Child Youth and Family Services to appear in Christchurch Youth Court on July 30.

The youth entered non-denial pleas on six charges including possessing an air gun, four charges of unlawfully getting into motor vehicles, a charge of unlawfully taking a vehicle and burglary.

Judge Richard Russell said the serious nature of the charges meant they could be transferred to the district court.

The 15 and 17-year-olds were stopped as they headed into Nelson. They had a loaded air rifle in the back of the stolen car and police say they had "no intention of stopping".

The teenagers allegedly stole six vehicles and a range of goods, including a shotgun, and committed more than 40 offences on their 500km spree which started in Christchurch on Friday.

It ended after police laid road spikes on the state highway to halt the stolen S-type Jaguar they were in.

The youths were confronted with police armed with rifles, pistols and Tasers.

They appeared terrified and gave up without a struggle.

Senior Sergeant Stu Koefoed, of Nelson, said the pair committed a number of offences in Blenheim, Kaikoura, Rai Valley and Havelock areas and police were still determining the extent of their offending.

"It's certainly a mini crime spree. They've committed 30 to 40, to maybe upwards of 50, offences over three different police areas. Offending is still being reported."

Mr Koefoed said if the youths had not been stopped they would have continued with their crime spree.

"The information we had was that they had no intention of stopping or giving up and that was borne out by the fact they carried on after they had been spiked.

"I think they probably changed their minds when they were presented with armed police."

Commander of the Tasman Police District Superintendent Gary Knowles said the situation had the potential to "turn quite nasty" because the youths were known to be carrying firearms from a burglary.

The armed arrests come as police use of firearms and Tasers has been in the public spotlight following the shooting of two Christchurch officers last week.

Yesterday's highway holdup was a successful result for police. Mr Knowles said it showed his officers had the resources they needed.

Mr Koefoed said the arrest of the youths had been a co-ordinated effort between Nelson and Blenheim police.

The situation had escalated rapidly and information on the youths had at first been "patchy".

"It was unclear initially what direction they were travelling in, and what we were dealing with, but that information came to light pretty rapidly and we responded accordingly."

He was pleased the pair were arrested without incident and no-one was hurt.

The armed offenders squad was ready to be deployed but was not needed. Blenheim police also had a helicopter on standby, he said.

It was not "particularly bright" behaviour from the youths, especially with the weapons involved.

"We didn't know what we were being faced with. I guess they are fortunate there was no presentation of it (the air rifle). They didn't use it, so it certainly wasn't pointed at us, but it was in the back seat, and it was loaded. So I guess it would be fair to say it was on hand, so that's of concern."

A number of stolen items were found in the car including the loaded air rifle and golf clubs. Police were still trying to find a stolen shotgun. He understood the youths were known to Christchurch police.

The drama started near Kaikoura on Monday night.

Constable Willy Squires, of Kaikoura, said he recognised that the Honda CRV the youths were travelling in was stolen from its number plate.

The youths crashed their car into a bank about 500m up the road from where he saw them and ran off.

Dog squads from Blenheim and Christchurch chased the youths for hours over scrub and farmland but they got away.

Police say the youths then stole a number of cars and committed numerous crimes before they were stopped.

Newspaper deliverer Fay Holdaway helped nab the youths yesterday. She saw police around Lynton and Janet Neal's Havelock house and could not deliver their paper.

She later saw the two youths filling up the Neals' silver Jaguar in Rai Valley.

She went "tearing back" back to Pelorus, where the Neals were working at the Pelorus Bridge Cafe, to tell them, and the Neals dialled 111.

"About two minutes later the cops went tearing down the road and that's how they caught them. It was really good policing on her [Fay's] part," Mrs Neal said.

The burglars broke into her house through the back window and found the Jaguar keys before breaking into the garage to take the car, Mrs Neal said. They also took a shotgun.

The owner of the stolen BMW, Blenheim woman Judy Blake-Barlow, said her car was recovered basically undamaged apart from wobbly steering. The petrol tank, which she had filled with about $100 of petrol, was empty.

When she arrived home late on Monday night, Mrs Blake-Barlow said a car appeared to follow her into her normally quiet street. She now thinks it was the suspects, who watched her park the car in her carport, where she left the keys in the ignition.

"I'm angry I made it so easy for them."

Police said all but one of the stolen vehicles in the crime spree had keys left in them.

- © Fairfax NZ News