Suspect charged over damage
A 30-year-old man has been charged with wilful damage after 20 double glazed windows of an unfinished Hawke’s Bay new build were smashed with rocks.
Property owner Moyrah Ryan Lewis says she was left “devastated” by the attack on her Otane property in the early hours of December 22, just days after a dust-up with builders led them to walk off the site.
A police spokesman said a 30-year-old man would appear in the Waipukurau District Court on January 21 to face a charge of wilful damage in relation to the incident on Higginson St.
Police would not confirm the name or the occupation of the alleged offender, saying it was now before the courts.
It is understood CCTV footage from a nearby takeaway store helped identify a suspect.
Ryan Lewis said she was glad someone was being held to account and she was feeling a lot “stronger” than immediately after the incident.
“If it was my son, I would definitely want him to learn the lesson. I don’t think anyone should behave like that . . . demolishing someone’s home and causing so much stress and misery.”
Builders had walked off the site after disagreements with the couple came to a head.
Ryan Lewis claims the next day a couple of other builders went to their Havelock North home and said “if we do not pay $1900, we will regret it”.
The windows were smashed two days later.
It is understood a protection order was taken out against the builder.
“The first week I was tearful and my husband was having mini strokes, so it was pretty stressful for us.”
With work to start again last week after the Christmas break, Ryan Lewis feels positive about where the build is heading.
“We have got good people on board to support us.”
While insurance will cover the damage, which is estimated to be more than $40,000, it meant the building work would be delayed, putting them over budget.
On top of that, Ryan Lewis had to pay $1000 in excess, which she hopes will be paid by the alleged offender.
Just days after the incident occurred, her insurance company brought a glazier in to clean up the shattered glass and board up all the windows.
Her original builders from Tauranga, where the couple moved from, will do a couple of weeks of labour for them, as will contractors who contacted her after she placed ads online.