A hitchhiker threw rocks at vehicles that did not stop for him - including a van containing eight schoolchildren - then jumped in the back of a police car he thought had stopped to give him a ride.
Christopher Hansen, 29, of Mangawhai, was found guilty on three charges of wilful damage after a defended hearing in the Whangarei District Court this week and was sentenced to community work.
Constable Jordan White of Waipu arrested Hansen at 6.35am on August 27, 2014, on the northern side of the Brynderwyn Hills after seven south-bound motorists reported rocks had been thrown at vehicles. Five police witnesses gave evidence in court while Hansen, who was self-represented, elected to neither call nor give evidence. Judge Keith de Ridder found him guilty and ordered him to perform 200 hours' community work and to pay reparations of $463 for a Rent-a-Dent vehicle and $877 for a Mitre 10 van.
None of the motorists whose vehicles were pelted with rocks could clearly identify Hansen but the judge convicted him on the overwhelming circumstantial evidence that matched the witnesses' evidence.
Jade Morgan was a passenger in a vehicle driven by her boyfriend when he was forced to swerve on to the other side of the road after a person ran on to the road on the Brynderwyns before rocks were thrown. They stopped at Hampton Downs and a check revealed minor chips on the windscreen.