A Whangarei thief jailed for a second time for stealing from tourists went with a warning from a judge that those committing such offences cast Northland in a bad light and should not expect any mercy from the courts.
Scott David Hugo, 30, was sent to jail for two years and seven months for stealing from visitors to Whangarei.
Hugo had earlier pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft from cars. He appeared for sentencing in the Whangarei District Court yesterday.
The convictions came after he was jailed for three years in July 2010 for stealing more than $31,000 worth of property from 20 tourist vehicles around Whangarei. At that time he had 24 previous convictions, including seven for theft from cars.
In his latest thefts, Hugo targeted a campervan at Mt Parahaki and another vehicle at Mt Manaia. Judge Greg Davis rejected his contention that he did not know the vehicles he broke into were hired by tourists, saying Hugo had a history of similar offending.