Hamilton burglar Sidney Burke Cassidy punched police dog during arrest

Sidney Burke Cassidy, 42, reaches out to his partner after getting in the dock of the Hamilton District Court today for sentencing on 19 charges, including aggravated robbery and aggravated burglary. Photo / Belinda Feek

A man who was busted on the roof of a bottle store with nearly $3000 worth of stolen product and repeatedly punched a police dog says he’s determined to turn his life around.

Sidney Burke Cassidy went on a spree of armed robberies and burglaries of retail stores and bars to help fund his meth addiction.

His appearance in the Hamilton District Court today for sentencing on 19 charges began with a karakia, involving his partner and other supporters.

His offending began on May 6 last year when Cassidy, who was living in emergency accommodation, stole a car.

He was granted bail after appearing in court later that month but his offending continued, and he was continually granted bail.

He admitted the 19 charges, one of the most serious being the daylight robbery of Cash Converters on Hamilton’s Peachgrove Rd on the afternoon of July 13.

Armed with a metal hammer and with his face covered, he smashed a glass cabinet and took six watches valued at $860, raising the hammer at the store manager before fleeing on his bike.

On August 29, he stole a contractor’s NZ Post courier van from outside the Manhattan Dairy in Hamilton East after the driver popped into the shop to make an inquiry.

The driver had left the keys in the ignition and the van running. Cassidy drove off before abandoning the van in Paul Cres, Fairfield after driving over a road sign and several council garbage bins, rendering it immobile.

In searching the van, police discovered 34 parcels were missing.

Around 3.40am on September 6, Cassidy climbed onto the roof of Crossroads Bar, at Five Crossroads, using the drainage pipes and carrying “tin snips”.

He cut a hole in the roof and jumped into an electrical cupboard, before taking $500 cash from a till, an unknown amount of cash from gaming machines and two bottles of booze - worth $400 - before walking out the main door.

He was dropped back in the same area at 4pm on September 11 and walked into Dollar Deals armed with a 30cm-long tomahawk and wearing a balaclava and garden gloves. He smashed a glass cabinet, grabbed a tray of jewellery items and fled.

When arrested, he told police he did it to “score some drugs”.

A month later, he went into the Hillcrest Haven Bar and Eatery and spoke briefly with a person behind the bar.

He then walked around behind the bar, punched the victim in the shoulder and stomach and yelled, “Give me the money” before snatching one of the tills and fleeing. When caught, he again told police he did it to buy drugs.

Cassidy was back at it just before 1am on October 3, when he cut a hole through the roof of the Beerescourt Liquor Centre, and stole cash and booze totalling $2730.

However, when he climbed back up through the roof he was surrounded by police.

After running through several properties, he ended up in an outhouse at a Hobson St property.

He came out swinging, punching the police dog in the head and body and also the arresting officer.

On searching him, police found a meth syringe.

The police dog was taken to the vet for a check-up. Cassidy said he stole the booze so he could sell it to people cheaper than the shop sold it for.

Crown solicitor James Lewis described Cassidy’s offending as serious and said it appeared to be driven by his meth addiction.

He acknowledged the various reports that had been prepared but urged the judge not to allow discounts totalling more than 50% given the seriousness of his actions.

‘One of the saddest S27 reports that I’ve read’

Counsel Sacha Nepe said her client was fortunate enough to have supportive whānau who were able to privately fund a section 27 report.

That report revealed that he was “really set up to fail from day one” and described how his upbringing was a “sad situation” involving state care, transient care, being around family and other violence, gangs and drugs, resulting in him getting little education.

“It’s primarily one of the sadder section 27 reports that I have read,” she said, and asked that Cassidy get up to 30% discount for that alone.

His remorse was genuine, and he’d attended a restorative justice conference with one victim, Nepe submitted.

In future, his focus was going to be rehabilitation and reconnecting with his seven children.

“He wants to move away from this in a positive manner ... develop a more meaningful life on release.

“He has the support behind him for the first time in his life.

“I think this is the first time in his life that he’s had a partner with him to do this with him.”

‘Didn’t deserve that at all’

Judge Stephen Clark acknowledged his supporters and their karakia but warned them a jail term was imminent.

He noted Cassidy was subject to a sentence of intensive supervision at the time of his offending and had previous convictions for aggravated robbery, burglary and assaulting police.

Judge Clark noted comments from one victim who said he was also an addict: “a workaholic”.

The victim stated he had worked in high-risk jobs for 30 years and spent more than $100,000 on his store’s security, adding that the staff who worked there didn’t get paid enough to “deal with people robbing them and threatening them”.

The judge noted he saw, on a daily basis, people who have robbed dairies, service stations, jewellery and other retail stores and they, including Cassidy’s victims, “didn’t deserve that at all”.

He took a start point of seven years and five months’ jail before agreeing to issue 20% discount for Cassidy’s S27 report, 20% for his guilty pleas and 10% for remorse and restorative justice.

Cassidy was jailed for five years and one month and disqualified from driving for six months.

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20.