Arsonist torches home to cover up art heist
Hill had caused $2
million worth of destruction when he committed the burglary then burnt down the property to “get rid of the
evidence”.
Aman stole close to $400,000 worth of artwork, then burned down a $1.9 million home to hide the fact.
David Vicent Hill, 37, was sentenced to five years’ prison for three charges of arson, burglary and unlawfully being in a building by Judge Maree Mackenzie in the Rotorua District Court yesterday.
On April 14, while the rest of the nation was in lockdown, Hill entered a lakefront property on Lake Terrace in Taupo¯ and stole $382,000 worth of artwork before returning to burn down the property.
Just over a week later, he was caught with $150,000 worth of stolen artwork after setting up camp at another unoccupied property.
Crown prosecutor Matthew Jenkins told the court Hill had caused $2 million worth of destruction when he committed the burglary then burnt down the property to “get rid of the evidence”.
He said Hill had sent texts that “plainly admitted” his guilt, such as: “I took the art and torched it” and that he had worked for days to “disarm the alarm at the property”.
But, in explanation, Hill had said the numbers for the alarm had come to him in a dream.
On April 14, Hill entered the Lake
Terrace property
$1.9 million, according summary of facts.
No one had been staying in the house and it had last been occupied valued at to a police on March 23.
It was owned by international owners and was being rented out for short-term holiday accommodation, the summary said.
Inside, Hill began identifying items of value and organised others to come to the property to help take them.
The group began removing items including a “valuable art collection” worth in excess of $382,000.
At 2.05am next day, Hill returned to the house with a camp-style cooker and ignited it to start fires in two different parts of the house.
He fled as the fire quickly spread causing “total destruction” of the property, the summary said.
He then found an unoccupied “derelict” property on a nearby street and took over two vacant rooms with his personal belongings.
He set up a “makeshift” bedroom in one and stored his belongings in the other.
On April 22, police searched the property and found about $150,000 worth of the stolen art.
This included eight paintings found in a bedroom wardrobe, three paintings hanging on the walls of Hill’s makeshift bedroom and two large mirrors.
All the items had been taken from the Lake Terrace property Hill had torched. Judge Mackenzie said there was “no evidence” Hill was remorseful”.
The offending was “highly premeditated” as Hill knew the house was not occupied and burnt it down to “conceal” the burglary.
Taking into account the property, artwork and loss of earnings – the extent of the loss was “significant” on the owners, she said.
The burglary was “brazen” and on the “serious end of the spectrum”.
More than $2 million of reparation was sought but this was declined.