Two people at the centre of a year-long police investigation into unlawful hunting in Otago were sentenced yesterday, one receiving home detention and the other community work.
The offending spanned two years and involved multiple charges of unlawfully hunting wild pigs on forestry blocks in Otago.
Judge John Strettell said the forestry owners were "concerned and frustrated'' at the repeated offending.
• Poaching dangerous in forests
Carl John Arnoldus Watters (28), farm hand, of Oturehua, appeared for sentencing in the Alexandra District Court on four charges of hunting a wild pig without the landowner's permission, possessing cannabis, possessing ammunition for an unlawful purpose, trespassing, intentionally damaging vegetation at Wenita Forest and unauthorised access of Wenita Forest's computer system.
Kelly Dawn Lee (29), shepherd, of Oturehua, was sentenced on three charges of hunting a wild pig without the landowner's permission, and one charge of trespassing.
Judge Strettell said that it was apparent the forestry owners were concerned about the safety of their staff and the defendants accessing those forestry blocks without permission.
"It's significant that in each case permits were available.''
The permits were granted to control the wild pig population and to allow the property owners to know who was on their property at any time.
The poaching charges were laid under the Wild Animal Control Act and the maximum penalty was two years' jail or a fine of $100,000.
Counsel Tim Cadogan said if Watters was sentenced to jail, he would be the first person in the country to be jailed for such offences since the penalties for this type of offending were increased about three years ago.
The defendant had a passion, "an addiction even'', for hunting and loved going out into the bush "sticking'' pigs.
Watters served five weeks' jail after breaching his bail conditions and "it nearly broke him''.
He lost his job, his relationship and his home as a result, and was a changed man after his stint in prison, Mr Cadogan said.
Judge Strettell said Watters' offending was serious and it was appropriate to look at a prison sentence as a starting point.
However, five months' home detention was a severe sentence and would give Watters the chance to reflect, the judge said.
Lee's counsel, Kieran Tohill, said Lee was a stock manager and her isolated home was unable to be used as a base for an electronic-based sentence.
Lee was a "woman of the land'' and had appeared on the covers of various hunting magazines.
"She's addicted to hunting, which is one of our primal instincts ... Hunting, perhaps, has been replaced by sport,'' he said.
Judge Strettell sentenced Lee to a total of 300 hours' community work.
Judge Strettell accepted there was no use of firearms in the offending, no commercial element to the hunting and no hunting of restricted species.
Asked for comment after the sentencing, Constable Toni Velenski, of Alexandra, said police carried out a "thorough and robust investigation into this case over 12 months''.
The investigation resulted in several offenders being brought before the courts, she said.
Two other defendants also appeared in court yesterday on unlawful hunting charges.
Mike Sabastiaan Biemond (26), shearer, of Clyde, admitted hunting pigs in Halwyn Forest, Lawrence without the permission of the landowner on July 13.
He was fined $1250, court costs $130. Kerry Hondelink (42), concrete worker, of Wanaka, admitted a joint charge of hunting goats on Devonshire Farm, Omakau, without the permission of the property owner. He was fined $750, court costs $130.
