Man found not guilty in Dannevirke huia theft

The mate to the huia that was stolen from the Dannevirke Gallery of History. The display case could not be seen on CCTV at the time of the theft. Photo / NZME

A judge has returned a not guilty verdict to a man accused of taking part in a theft of a huia bird from a Dannevirke museum.

Police alleged that Jayden Paewai acted as a lookout during the July 2020 theft

Paewai's co-defendant, Dean Mudgway, earlier pleaded guilty to the theft.

The huia was one of a pair kept in a display case in the Dannevirke Gallery of History.

Its value was assessed at between $15,000 and $20,000, but its historical value was even more significant.

Paewai was charged after the museum filed a complaint with police.

He appeared at Dannevirke District Court before Judge Stephanie Edwards this week.

Paewai told the court he hadn't known Mudgway that well but had agreed to go on a drive with him the day of the theft.

They ended up at the museum where he was able to look around.

He told the court he found the history of Dannevirke interesting.

In CCTV footage of the hallway, Paewai was seen hovering while Mudgway signed the visitors' book.

A judge in Dannevirke District Court has returned a not-guilty verdict to a man accused of taking part in a theft of a huia from a local museum. Photo NZME

He told the court Mudgway had told him he would sign him in, but Mudgway signed them in under false names.

In other footage of the main room, the two men could be seen wandering in and out.

The display case with the bird pair was just below the range of the camera, so could not be seen.

Paewai could be seen walking around the museum and police inferred he'd been acting as a lookout for Mudgway.

However, Paewai argued they'd been there too long and he was bored.

The pair spent just over 20 minutes in the museum.

At one point Paewai spoke to one of the staff about Dannevirke's history.

He told the court the first he knew of the theft was when he was in the car with Mudgway, who then pulled out the bird.

He said he told Mudgway he wanted nothing to do with it.

Judge Edwards said she did not consider the CCTV footage to be proof of Paewai's involvement or guilty knowledge beyond reasonable doubt.

"In the absence of evidence of the co-defendant, I'm left in a position where the evidence leaves me unsure."

The stolen huia has not been recovered.