One of the pair, Reyne Jude Hunt, 18, of Morrissett Street, Bathurst pleaded guilty to 27 charges- 18 of obtaining money to advantage by deception- and was sentenced this week.

HuntChr(39)s accomplice Alfred John Saban is facing 15 charges before the Local Court. Saban will be sentenced on a string of charges similar to Hunt on July 24, 2001.

Hunt was sentenced by magistrate Gail Madgwick to a suspended nine months gaol term, ordered to perform 300 hours work for the community, placed on a two year bond, and ordered to pay about $2000 in compensation, fines and costs.

Ms Madgwick heard that Hunt was involved with Saban, obtaining refunds from the two Eftpos machines by breaking into a produce store and garden nursery at night.

Fish & Sons locked and secured their premises about 5pm on Tuesday, July 25. When Kent Fish was doing banking on Wednesday, July 26, he found numerous Eftpos refund transactions that could not be explained.

A check with the Commonwealth Bank found $200 amounts were refunded about a dozen transactions, including three attempted transactions, totalling $1900 to Hunt and SabanChr(39)s accounts. Bank staff told Fish to contact police.

Between the evening of Thursday, July 27 and Friday, July 28 the Elm Tree Garden Nursery was secured, but owner Jock Thompson arrived in the morning to find Eftpos machine refunds totalling $2200 to Hunt and SabanChr(39)s accounts.

After the Elm Tree Nursery transactions police ascertained Hunt made withdrawals of money from his savings account at a nearby automatic teller machine.

The court heard Hunt and Saban were joined by two other youths Rickey Meekin and David John Bailey, committing other offences.

Both Meekin and Bailey will be sentenced on six charges after being referred to the Community Aid Panel by Ms Madgwick. They will be sentenced on May 7.

Police prosecutor, Sgt Shane Cunningham handed a statement of facts to Ms Madgwick revealing that Hunt denied but later admitted the Efpos machine transactions at Fish and Co and Elm Tree Nursery, Bathurst on Tuesday and Friday nights, July 25 and 28, last year.

Hunt was also charged over the break and entry of Comstop Store, Bathurst Central between September 12-13, when mobile phones and a laptop computer were stolen.

He was also charged over the break and entry of sheds in lower Rankin Street on October 7-8 when a $700 compressor belonging to Darren Stocks was stolen and the October 7-9 break when a $1300 generator, owned by Peter Waddell was taken.

Police said a large number of tools and machinery was taken from the sheds. Neither the compressor nor generator were recovered, although some goods were found at HuntChr(39)s home.

Hunt was also charged over the October 18 sale of a drill to Recycled City, having a sound system on his premises stolen from Bathurst TAFE, on October 18 and possession of a mobile phone stolen from Comstop about September 12.

Ms Madgwick heard the four youths were involved in the theft of a large office safe containing cash and cheques from Smorgon ARC, a trolley from McDonalds and attempted theft of a utility from Fengore, while Hunt was on bail, on October 16.

The youthChr(39)s went to Smorgon about 11pm using bolt cutters to open a gate, entering premises, taking gloves from a shelf and moving a large floor safe containing $860 in cash and $965 in cheques from an office.

A trolley was stolen from McDonalds about the same time the youthChr(39)s went to steal a utility from Fengore. But they failed in their attempt and returned in HuntChr(39)s vehicle to Smorgon, loading the safe which was taken to Apex Park on Ophir Road, Eglinton.

The youths used a sledgehammer to smash the back of the safe open, with Hunt and Saban cutting their hands and bleeding, removing currency which was shared by the four.

The four were recorded on a Raglan Service Station video buying food about 3am on Tuesday, October 17, before Hunt drove Saban, Bailey and Meekin home.

Both Bailey and Meekin made admissions to police. Bailey spent his money on a watch which was recovered by police, Meekin bought CDs and a video.