PHOTO: STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERItems stolen during burglaries are largely predictable — jewellery, electronics, alcohol. They are usually not the fossilised bone of an extinct flightless bird. A couple of weeks later, Barnes was back, again using his sleeves to avoid leaving fingerprints at the crime scene. A minute later, CCTV showed him leave carrying a fossilised moa thigh bone. In a letter to the court, Barnes said he was "really sorry" for his actions, but Judge David Robinson questioned his remorse.

Source: Otago Daily Times January 06, 2026 15:35 UTC