Not guilty on stock and theft charges

After a trial in the Invercargill District Court lasting 12 days, a jury on Tuesday found Simon Robert Hawkins (30), of Wanaka, not guilty on 22 charges of stealing stock and other farm items.

The items, including hundreds of deer, merino wethers and hoggets, as well as deer velvet, hard antler and barley, were taken from from Criffel Deer Ltd, Criffel Station or West Wanaka Station owner Grant Cochrane between January 1, 2005, and December 1, 2011, and had a collective value of almost $300,000.

Hawkins was charged jointly with Dean Thomas Herd (37), the former manager of Criffel deer farm, now of Motueka. Herd pleaded guilty last year to dozens of charges and is awaiting sentencing.

John Young, of Invercargill, appeared for the Crown and Ron Mansfield, of Auckland, for Hawkins.

On the opening day of the trial, Mr Young said Hawkins believed the animals he had arranged to be sold or killed belonged to Herd - who had an arrangement to graze them on Mr Cochrane's properties - and were being sold legally.

An Invercargill court staff member said yesterday no date had yet been set for Herd's sentencing.

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