A woman has to pay $20 in reparation after she took a bath after breaking into someone's home. Photo / 123RF
A woman has to pay $20 in reparation after she took a bath after breaking into someone's home. Photo / 123RF
A young woman who broke into a house before cooking a meal and taking a bath has been given a gentle telling off by a judge.
The woman and her then partner broke into the Takaka home in Golden Bay last May.
Once inside they cooked some food, did theirlaundry and took a bath - but what upset the owner the most was the fact they brought their dogs into the house with them.
Willow Douglas-Jeffrey admitted a burglary charge when she appeared in the Nelson District Court today, hidden largely behind bulky dark clothing, and staring quietly at Judge Jo Rielly as she delivered the sentence.
"This was extremely silly behaviour and out of character," Judge Rielly told Douglas-Jeffrey, noting also that she had recently become a mother, the relationship she had been in at the time was now over and she had managed to move on in a positive way.
The court heard how Douglas-Jeffrey, a beneficiary, had been homeless at the time she and her former boyfriend broke into the Takaka house. They were found by the owner, who was also upset to find a number of the pair's dogs inside.
A woman who with her boyfriend broke into a house in Takaka, in Golden Bay, has been given a telling off by a judge. Photo / Tracy Neal
Judge Rielly said in sentencing she had taken into account Douglas-Jeffrey was young, had no history of offending, and that it was clear she had been in a "very difficult situation".
"I don't condone what you did, and you have acknowledged it was wrong. Things are more stable for you, but you are still on a benefit and I don't want to create significant hardship for you."
