Bookabach blaze ‘meth lab gone wrong’

Prosecutors says a blaze which destroyed a Bookabach rental was a meth cook gone wrong, but the accused claim it was a simple fish fry up.

Alexandra Irwin and Johnathan Spear are standing trial at Rotorua District Court after pleading not guilty to one charge each of arson after the South Waikato property they were renting burned down in February 2017.

Firefighters were called to a Mangakino house on February 27, at 4.26am, to find it beyond saving. The accused were nowhere to be found and had not contacted the fire department.

Opening the case for the Crown, prosecutor Matthew Jenkins said the defendants rented the Bookabach with the intention to cook meth.

Jenkins said containers of pseudoephedrine were found in a neighbouring property. More chemicals were located inside a car left at the property.

Fire investigators found traces of petrol inside the house and concluded the fire was deliberately lit. Jenkins said the defendants had not intended to burn the house during the cook but ‘‘something went wrong’’.

‘‘A fire had started,’’ he said. ‘‘Injuries were caused to Spear’s hand and leg and they may well have tried to put out the fire at that point.

‘‘The crown position is when they were unable to put the fire out they decided to set fire to the remainder of the house.’’

Jenkins summarised the defendants’ version of events the morning of the fire as ‘‘nonsensical’’.

‘‘The defendants say the fire was an accident,’’ he said. ‘‘Spear said he wanted to cook using oil to deep fry fish pieces. Somehow an oil fire started and he was burned.’’

Jenkins summarised Spear’s claims that he had used a neighbour’s garden hose, even though there was a fire extinguisher in the kitchen, to put out the kitchen fire before heading to a nearby lake to cool off.

‘‘At the lake they saw fire engines heading towards the house and realised the fire had not been put out,’’ Jenkins said.

‘‘They didn’t call the fire department and let them know they were fine.’’

Spear said they left the lake ‘‘as it was not cold enough’’ to head to the Waiho River. On route they drove right past the Tokoroa Hospital without stopping to get Spears injuries treated.

Jenkins said their explanation for not alerting authorities, or seeking medical attention, was part of an effort to ‘‘go to ground’’.

A neighbour said he found the containers of chemicals on his property after the fire. The defence attacked his claim saying there was no way of knowing when the containers had been left at the property.

The trial continues in Rotorua District Court before Judge Phillip Cooper.