Prison terms for rental-car thefts

Press, 15 February 1989, Page 15

Prison terms for rental-car thefts

Prison sentences of nine months in all, and restitution of $11,912 were imposed in the District Court yesterday on a former rental-car company employee for what was termed a professional and determined series of thefts of vehicles and disguising these for resale. Paul Edward Baynes, aged 25, appeared for sentence after having pleaded guilty, before a scheduled trial by jury was to have taken place, to six offences, committed between August 1986 and May 1988.

These were of theft of a car worth $14,000 belonging to his employer, Budget Rent-a-Car, Ltd, theft of cars valued at $20,000 and $12,000, belonging to Tasman Rental Cars, Ltd, theft of car accessories comprising children’s car seats, snow chains, and ski racks, valued at

$1382.50, belonging to Budget Rent-a-Car, fraudulently using a Budget Rent-a-Car rental agreement, and offering a bribe of $5OOO to three policemen who investigated the vehicle offences.

Judge Erber imposed concurrent sentences of nine months imprisonment for each vehicle theft, and concurrent terms of three months for each other offence. Mr S. C. Barker appeared for Baynes, and sought a non-custodial sentence.

He said the cars had been returned in an undamaged state. The Judge said Baynes’ offences had involved his stealing cars and car accessories worth more than $47,000. He had swapped round and disguised cars in a scheme to make money

for himself. He had used his knowledge of his employer’s system to steal a car from this firm, Budget Rent-a-Car, and disguised the car by using another car he had purchased as a wreck. The car identification was so altered that it could not be readily identified.

The Judge said he believed the reason Baynes stored the vehicles in a garage on his property in Cashmere Road was to wait for the heat to go down before eventually selling them.

His determination to sell the vehicles later was confirmed by his proposing to pay off investigating police officers by offering them a bribe of $5OOO.

The offences justified a term of imprisonment, the Judge said.