William Tidd appears in the Rotorua District Court for sentencing via audio visual link. Photo / Kelly Makiha
A man caught trying to hock off stolen property after a mysterious arson and burglary has been jailed for three and a half years.
William Tidd, 42, has a “significant methamphetamine addiction” that was behind his offending spree.
He was charged with receiving stolen property alongside his partner, Monique Gardiner, who was sentenced to 16 months’ jail in November last year.
Tidd was found with nearly $20,000 worth of stolen property – including priceless family heirlooms – from three Rotorua burglaries.
One of the burglaries was at Trevor and Rosemary Newbrook’s home on Sumner St, a home that was torched after it was broken into.
Within hours of the arson, Tidd and Gardiner were caught trying to sell property they stole.
Tidd and Gardiner were originally charged with burglary and arson but those charges were dropped, Crown prosecutor Laurie McMaster said.
“The evidence relating to the arson went up in smoke like the house so there wasn’t sufficient evidence to link anybody, unfortunately for the victims.”
Judge Louis Bidois said Tidd pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including three counts of receiving stolen property, possession of a firearm and ammunition, assault, shoplifting, three counts of burglary relating to stealing about $7000 worth of property from commercial premises and three counts of unlawfully using a bank card causing loss of $1829.
In a victim impact statement read to the court by the Newbrooks’ daughter, Jenny Packman, she said her parents were too traumatised to attend the court hearing.
She became emotional when she spoke about the day her parents’ home was destroyed in fire, saying it took more than 12 months before they could move back.
She said her mother was diagnosed with cancer and had two surgeries as well as other medical issues that resulted in ongoing travel to Auckland for treatment.
Their daughter-in-law was also diagnosed with terminal cancer and died a few months later.
Packman said among the stolen items were a greenstone mere gifted to her father by the Minister of Tourism, her grandmother’s engagement ring and an unusual pipe handed down through the male generations on her father’s side. Many of these items had been recovered but were damaged.
A medal gifted to her grandfather posthumously and given to her mother was still missing, along with a gold bracelet Packman was given by her aunt.
Packman described the burglary as a “total invasion of our lives”.
She said it had been difficult watching the trauma her 70-year-old parents had suffered.
It took her mother weeks to open the police’s paper bags containing the recovered items because she felt they were now “tainted and dirty”.
“This past year and a half has been so hard on both my parents. They have lost a lifetime worth of belongings, photos and memories.”
She said they had to start again when they should be focusing on their health.
“By selling their belongings for a little bit of extra cash for yourself, you’ve caused long-lasting trauma and distress to a family.”
Tatiana Macfarlane, one of the victims of the commercial property burglaries, read her victim impact statement, saying her business was a place of Māori massage and healing to make people feel good.
She said she did not know Tidd and didn’t want to know him.
“This disgusting act of someone of my own iwi, Te Arawa, Ngāti Whakaue, Ngāti Pikiao. You use chiefly names as your profile name on Facebook and act like you have mana but you don’t,” Macfarlane said.
“You choose to steal from your own people, including someone like me who is actually out there helping and healing our own.”
Tidd’s lawyer, Tim Braithwaite, said Tidd had tried and failed in the past to address his methamphetamine addiction issue.
He said his addictions were driven by his upbringing and factors he had been subjected to.
He said he wanted to participate in restorative justice and the offending had “hit Mr Tidd particularly hard”.
“He does not want the victims left thinking he has done all this offending and he’s not even regretted it.”
Braithwaite said that since going into custody after his arrest, Tidd had developed into someone who was now genuinely remorseful.
“He didn’t know there was an arson when he received the stolen property. When he found that out, that’s hit him pretty hard as well.”
Judge Bidois gave a starting point of five years and six months, but reduced it by 40% for a range of reasons. These included 20% for his guilty pleas, 10% for addiction issues, 5% for his dysfunctional upbringing and 5% for remorse.
The end sentence was one of 43 months, or three and a half years.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.