Hamilton man sought vengeance for his friend by burning down a shed; now he’s in jail

Ronald Hutchings became so embroiled in his friend's affairs, he took matters into his own hands by burning down a garage. Photo / 123rf

A man watched the occupants of a home, waiting until they left their property before he jumped a fence and set fire to their garage, destroying most of what was inside.

Ronald Peter Hutchings was jailed by Judge Noel Cocurullo for intending to carry out the arson “in a potentially serious way” given it was in the middle of a built-up Hamilton suburb.

“You’re a man who has seen a bit of a world ... you, on the walk over to this place knew that mischief such as this was a serious thing particularly lighting a fire in a residential area with the intended risk to those who might be around,” Judge Cocurullo told him in the Hamilton District Court.

On Thursday, he jailed Hutchings, a pensioner, for 15 months, a decision that shocked a female relative who, from the public gallery, let out an audible scream upon hearing the news.

“I’m not prepared to accept that home detention is the least restrictive option,” the judge said.

“In my view it’s not ... and it’s not an appropriate sentence for you.”

While the victims’ details are suppressed, restricting what can be reported, the offending involved Hutchings becoming embroiled in a female friend’s custody dispute.

He decided to sort the matter by burning down the garage.

Hutchings parked up near the victim’s house on the morning of December 28 last year and watched and waited until he was sure no one was home, before jumping a fence and setting it alight.

A vehicle as well as other personal belongings were all destroyed.

Hutchings’ counsel Shelley Gilbert said his client was remorseful and had been since the incident happened.

Gilbert refuted submissions that the fire was pre-meditated stating Hutchings had only gone there with a lighter - used to light his cigarettes - in his pocket.

Her client would pay the required reparation, totalling $6000, at $30 a week, from his pension.

She worked out that would take three and a half years.

Hutchings had also suffered an assault, as a result of “repercussions” from his actions, which had seen him need surgery to fix his teeth.

As for explaining why he acted the way he did, Gilbert said it was due to his mental state at the time along with unresolved grief from the death of his wife.

His sister was also a victim of the Carterton air balloon crash of 2012 that killed 11.

In urging Judge Cocurullo to hand down a home detention sentence, Gilbert told him “prison is not the right place for this man”.

However, the judge noted Hutchings had “an extensive” list of previous convictions and was “no stranger to the court”.

While he agreed to issue another five per cent discount for the contents of his cultural report, he declined Hutchings’ bid for home detention.

“You took actions into your own hands in quite a profound way.

“Here this was an intention to commit this arson in a really potentially serious way and I do not accept your request for home detention.”

Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in Waikato. She has worked at NZME for eight years and been a journalist for 19.