Taranaki homeowners $51K out of pocket after house burgled and torched

Donald Charles Pinkney burgled a house and then returned to set fire to it. Photo / Bevan Conley

Under the cover of darkness, a man broke into a newly purchased home and ransacked its contents before returning and setting the house ablaze - causing around $385,000 in loss and damages.

Now the owners of the Taranaki property, who had only bought the home one month before the crime, are out of pocket $51,255 from the insurance shortfall, the New Plymouth District Court was told on Thursday.

The couple were out of town when the offender, Donald Charles Pinkney, smashed a window at their New Plymouth house around 3.30am on June 26, 2021.

Pinkney, who also uses the surname Parker, entered the property and gathered up an assortment of their belongings before lugging it about 175 metres down the road.

Among the items he took were the victims' passports, electronic goods, clothing, a snowboard, alcohol, cigars and even a good luck charm.

But Pinkney, 47, hadn't finished at the property.

Shortly after, he returned and poured an accelerant through a bedroom, the dining room, and the hallway before setting it alight.

When Fire and Emergency New Zealand arrived at the scene, the house was engulfed in flames.

Pinkney later paid an associate with cannabis and cash to drive him and the goods around as he flogged it off.

Pinkney caused at least $341,273 of damage to the home and $44,355 of loss and damage to the victims' belongings.

But while their insurance has picked up most of the bill, there is a total shortfall of $51,255, which the Crown is now seeking to be paid to the victims by way of an order for reparation.

In court, Pinkney pleaded guilty to arson and burglary. The charges respectively carry a maximum penalty of 14 years' imprisonment and 10 years' imprisonment.

Defence lawyer Paul Keegan said he may seek a cultural report for Pinkney, who appeared via audio-visual link from prison custody, to canvass his background.

Judge Gregory Hikaka convicted him on the charges and remanded him back into custody.

The case was referred to restorative justice ahead of Pinkney's sentencing on November 23.