Follow on Twitter
Email A Friend
A Tauranga man will spend the next 16 months in jail after pleading guilty to breaking into Tauranga Boys’ College and trashing classrooms.
Storm Aneru Shortcliff appeared in Tauranga District Court on Monday charged with burglary and intentional damage in relation to the break-in at Tauranga Boys’ College on May 24.
Shortcliffe, a former Tauranga Boys’ College student, admitted to breaking into the school grounds on the evening of May 24 and using a piece of wood to break faucets causing the room to flood.
He also smashed a number of windows and damaged musical equipment by throwing it around the room.
At about 10.45pm police apprehended the man in the classroom where he was found to be in an intoxicated state.
Principal Robert Mangan says he is grateful the alarm system worked and police arrived in time to catch the offender before he made off with any items.
“The alarm system worked and the offender was caught.”
TBC was the third school to be broken into in a span of a week, after Tauranga Intermediate and Tauranga Girls’ College also had equipment stolen on May 19 and 21.
Thieves stole about $300 worth of music equipment from Tauranga Girls’ College and computer and electronic equipment from Tauranga Intermediate.
Police have spoken to five youths, aged between 10 and 13-years-old, in relation to the thefts.
Detective Sergeant Alan Kingsbury says some of the stolen property has been recovered.
“This includes musical equipment stolen from Tauranga Girls’ College and computer equipment stolen from Tauranga Intermediate.”
Alan says the young people involved have all been referred to Police Youth Aid.
“It is important for members of the public to keep an eye on local schools after school hours and during the weekend, and to immediately report any suspicious activity to the police.”
If people notice anything suspicious they are urged to contact their local police station or leave information anonymously via the Crimestoppers 0800 555 111 line
Tweet
Posted on 30-05-2012 13:08 | By PeteDashwood
I have come to the same conclusion as you on this. Parents must be made responsible and their offspring must see that actions have consequences. If the parents can’t/won’t control their kids and make reparation, then both the parents and the kids should be sentenced to community service so they can learn what living in a community is about. A couple of days of physical labour on a farm helping with haymaking, or clearing scrub, or helping out some of our lesser able citizens with gardens and chores is benefical not only to the farmer or householder, but also to the people who have to do the work, and, eventually, to all of us. As long as some people feel they are "outside" the society as a whole, they will rage against the society. They need to be encouraged into realising that, while they don’t have to "conform", they do have to not hurt other people or property. That is the price of their freedom to express themselves.