Particularly mean crimes

The Herald reports on an alleged thief in Christchurch who has been doing some particularly mean alleged crimes; check this out:

A 48-year-old contractor has appeared in court today after a red zone burglary spree in Christchurch.

Justin Ackland, from Lyttelton, was arrested at the weekend after reports of suspicious activity at a Redcliffs property.

Police allege the man targeted a number of abandoned or red-stickered properties, including homes in hill suburbs.

This morning he was granted a registrar's remand at Christchurch District Court and did not have to appear before a judge.

He was remanded without plea on charges of burgling properties in Balmoral Lane, Redcliffs until April 23.

On Saturday, a member of the public reported seeing a man enter a quake-damage and abandoned home on a cliff.

Police inquiries led them to a lock-up garage where the found property they suspect was stolen from red-zoned houses.

More charges could follow, police say.

We have an elderly relative who lives in the Redcliffs area. There have been several occasions in the last year when she has been forced out of her home due to the risk from falling rocks, although her home has not been red-stickered. But we know that she would be mortified if someone broke into her home in these circumstances, and stole some of her cherished possessions.

It's early in the piece of course, and the Police will have to prove the charges against Ackland. But if the charges are proven, Ackland should have the book thrown at him with some considerable velocity. The people of Christchurch have been through enough without this kind of violation.