Christchurch, Jan 20 NZPA - The future looks grim for 55-year-old art thief Peter Lindsay James Whitworth as his criminal record hits 40 thefts, a judge said today.

That record includes stealing valuable paintings from Christchurch galleries, and the theft of a Mongolian helmet worth $250,000 which Whitworth took from a display case at the Canterbury Museum in February 2000.

He has served jail time for that offending and for more in December 2003 and he has been back in court since then with a judge commenting that any community based sentence was likely to be a problem.

Whitworth was back in Christchurch District Court again today, dropping his not guilty pleas and pleading guilty to three more charges of theft and a trespass.

Judge Noel Walsh remanded him on bail for sentence on April 1 and told him: "At 55 years of age, you have racked up 40 shoplifting convictions from 1982 to the present time. The outlook is pretty grim, given your stage of life."

However, the judge agreed to a request by defence counsel Michael Starling to get a report on Whitworth's suitability for a home detention sentence, as well as the usual pre-sentence report.

"That's not an indication of the final outcome," said Judge Walsh.

Whitworth today admitted stealing perfumes worth $347 from one pharmacy and others worth $117 from another pharmacy in October.

He was stopped by store security after hiding the perfumes under his jacket. He told police he stole the perfume to on-sell it.

Whitworth also admitted trespassing at Ballantynes department store in central Christchurch on October 24.

He had taken a large Murano glass ornamental bird worth $1090 from a display, hidden it under his jacket and left the store without paying.

Judge Walsh said he wanted a pre-sentence report because of the recidivist nature of the offending.

After the helmet theft, Whitworth was convicted of stealing paintings worth $46,500 from art galleries around Christchurch in 2002 and receiving three hand-painted silk jackets worth $945 stolen from another gallery.

Whitworth had stolen the paintings Tasman Bay at Mt Arthur Range, by John Gully, valued at $25,000, which was taken from a Christchurch fine art auctions firm, Tasman Dance, by Allan Pearson, valued at $4000, which was taken from another gallery, and Boats at Salonika, by Peter McIntyre, valued at $17,500, which was taken from the Centre of Contemporary Art.

He had walked out with one painting wrapped in a newspaper, stolen another when staff were busy elsewhere in the gallery, and passed one out between the bars on a window.

He was jailed for two years nine months for those thefts in 2003.

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