Man burned ex-partner’s Tākaka house down in rage over alleged affair

The Tākaka home fully ablaze after Hamish Ray set it alight in a rage over his ex-partner.

A man who was convinced his former partner was having an affair ended up burning down her rental house after dragging a mattress outside and setting it alight. He then started another fire inside the house.

Hamish Andrew Kerry Ray pleaded guilty in the Nelson District Court today to a charge of arson and may face other more serious charges after a judge allowed time for this to be explored ahead of his sentencing later this month.

The charge of arson carries a maximum penalty of 14 years in prison.

The 38-year-old, who appeared in court via video link from where he is being held in prison custody, told police he acted in a rage at the idea his partner was having an affair. He recalled dragging the mattress out from the house in Tākaka and setting it alight, but not starting another fire inside the home.

Emergency services were called to the suspicious house fire in the early hours of March 9 this year, after Ray had sent a barrage of abusive messages via social media to the complainant the day before.

Fire investigators at the scene later noted steel remnants of a mattress in the garden area of the property. The scene also suggested a second seat of fire found within the lounge area.

Ray told police later he had pulled the woman’s mattress and bed base from the master bedroom into the garden and set it alight.

During a second interview, he said he did not remember lighting a second fire inside the house but that he “must have” done so.

Other personal items that belonged to the complainant were found strewn around the grounds.

Ray and the complainant had been in an on-and-off relationship for nine years and had a young child together.

The messages sent on the afternoon of Friday, March 8 contained accusations she was seeing other partners, and making demands to see his son.

She was concerned enough about the messages to arrange for herself and her two children to stay at a friend’s place.

In the early hours of March 9, Ray sent the complainant a barrage of abusive text messages with enough detail that led her to believe he was at her home address.

At 2.25am Ray sent another abusive, accusatory message to the complainant that included an image of the house.

A few minutes later he sent another message stating: “U don’t HV a home thatl teach you skut,” followed by: “U don’t hv any were go skur.”

By 3.26am the home, which NZME understands was the homestead owned by an early Tākaka family, was fully ablaze and was ultimately destroyed, along with all the complainant’s and her children’s belongings.

Ray told police he had gained access to the property through a rear door he said was unlocked.

He admitted to having been in a rage at the scene and thinking irrationally that the complainant was not at the address because she was “away having an affair”.

Police said she had been advised to leave due to an identified risk to her safety.

Ray was remanded in custody for sentencing in July.

Police said the home was worth about $500,000, with contents still to be assessed.

Tracy Neal is a Nelson-based Open Justice reporter at NZME. She was previously RNZ’s regional reporter in Nelson-Marlborough and has covered general news, including court and local government for the Nelson Mail.