Man sentenced for lighting f ires
A Nelson man who lit two roadside fires during the 2019 Nelson wildfires has been sent to prison for three years and four months.
Benjamin Philip Durrant, 35, and Abigail Jessica Page, 25, were jointly charged with arson and attempted arson. They were sentenced in the Nelson High Court yesterday.
Durrant was sentenced to prison, while Page was discharged without conviction.
Justice David Goddard suppressed the reasons for discharging Page, but said the consequences of a conviction would be out of all proportion to the gravity of her offending.
The pair were found guilty on both charges after a two-week jury trial in March at the Wellington High Court.
Justice Goddard said the fires, which the jury had been satisfied were lit by Durrant, were ‘‘very serious’’ and had significant consequences for people and property.
In early 2019, the region was in drought and fire risk was high. A massive fire was accidently started in Pigeon Valley on February 5 by a spark from farm equipment.
It was not brought under control until March. When two fires showed up on roadsides, their cause was a major concern. The first fire on February 27 way saw 97 houses evacuated and damage to 10.63 hectares of commercial pine forest and farmland.
One property was significantly damaged and the landowners were at risk of losing their home.
Justice Goddard said the fear and anxiety caused by the fires was an aggravating feature of the offending.
The fire also damaged forest owned by Tasman Pine Forests.
The losses to landowners were estimated to be between $11,000 and $32,000.
The second fire, on March 6, was quickly extinguished by forestry workers before it reached the road and Durrant and Page were arrested.
A victim impact statement from principal rural fire officer Ian Reade estimated the costs incurred by Fire and Emergency NZ were $212,000.
Justice Goddard said the Pigeon Valley fire caused around $20 million in damage and cost a further $30m to extinguish.
Durrant denied he had responsibility for the fires.