Lure of prize too much for greedy thief
09 February 2006
By TOM FITZSIMONS

A Palmerston North thief was nabbed when she was tricked into returning to the scene of her crime to claim a "lucky shopper" prize.


Amy Adams, 17, appeared in Palmerston North District Court on Tuesday and was convicted of shoplifting and sentenced to 40 hours of community work.

Adams stole $40 worth of chicken pieces from The Mad Butcher shop in Palmerston North on January 8. But rather than being caught red-handed, she was caught after being trapped by a store "promotion".

After surreptitiously moving three packets of chicken portions to a freezer near the shop's exit, Adams made a dash out the door with her booty.

However, she left a trail of evidence behind – video footage of her face on the shop's security cameras.

Store owner Wayne Gerrand said shoplifters were a problem and when Adams "did a runner", he tried to think of a novel way to catch her.

The result was a scheme that involved putting up a picture of her face with the words "This Week's Lucky Shopper".

"I just thought, 'Bugger it, let's give this a try,' " Mr Gerrand said.

The plan worked perfectly. Adams and a friend came into the store wanting to know what she had won. She admitted taking the chicken and two bags were recovered.

Mr Gerrand said the plan was not a masterpiece of ensnarement. "It was just lucky. It does defy logic that somebody would actually respond to it."

Adams was also ordered by the court to pay $40 restitution for the chicken



Dominion Post


:retarded:

Heh. Not exactly the great train robbery.

haha owned by the mad butcher

Yeah I heard this on the radio. Amy is a bit of a sux0r n00bz0r.

If I was stealing chicken, I'd steal it properly. Like the cat burglar on that episode of the Simpsons would.

HAH! That's fantastic. Similar to what happened in the Simpsons when Principal Skinner tried to get Bart and stuff out of the way... Ahh the many ways life imitates the Simpsons...

The Simpsons IS real life, and the rest that we experience? Ah, 'tis but an illusion; a beggar's fantasy, a bogan's dream Holden.

I am poetic.

And the Bogan spoketh of the glories of Butcheries
We've got to fucking get that little shit, Wayne told his workers
its all your fucken fault that she got out of the store, you worthless
bastards
The media contingent arrives
Wayne makes his workers tidy the store up
Wayne sits in his office, gets one of his workers to bring
The Media Contignent
A fucking stiff cuppa
We want some good advertising, Wayne proclaimed

The chargéd thief
Utterly humiliated in her neighbourhoods social context
Retreats to a world of illusion
With a loving
tender
chomp
into a processed
tender
leg
of KFC chicken
And then returns to court
After whinging about her brief lunch interlude as her parents drive her in
a BMW SUV
Back to the Courthouse.

Hauser, Craccum Forum Poet Laureate.