Matakana Islander must pay $500 to owners of stolen truck

Richard Taingahue, 44, of Matakana Island pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving property in the Tauranga District Court on February 27.

A Matakana Islander who bought a truck owned by a charity told police he only learned it was stolen after he heard a report on the radio.

Richard Te Rariki Taingahue, 44, pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving property in the Tauranga District Court on Wednesday.The charge relates to the purchase of a four-by-four Suzuki truck that was stolen during a burglary at Te Puna Quarry Park on August 25.

The police summary of facts stated a burglar cut off the padlock on a shed door to gain entry to the main storage area at the park.

The Suzuki truck was among several stolen items.

The next day, Taingahue took the vehicle on a barge to Matakana Island, where he lives. He exchanged it for a motorbike and $1100 cash.

Lawyer Jason Owers told Judge Thomas Ingram that Taingahue accepted he should have made more thorough checks before buying the truck.

Owers said Taingahue believed it was a legitimate sale and he went to the police when he heard on the radio the truck had been stolen.

Judge Ingram told Taingahue there was clearly "no sense of legitimacy" about the sale and he should have known to ask more questions.

However, Judge Ingram said he was prepared to take Taingahue's role in the truck's recovery into account, and ordered him to pay $500 to Te Puna Quarry Park by April 1.