John Russell Black (58) — who goes by "Little John", also known as Russell John Tingle — appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday afternoon after pleading guilty to arson.
His counsel Meg Scally argued community work was an appropriate outcome, since he could not do home detention in a cave, but Judge Michael Turner disagreed.
"Arson is a serious offence," he said.
Black, who calls himself an "eccentric genius", made headlines over his reclusive lifestyle living in a cave in Outram Glen.
In 2020 he was also using a small hut — without electricity or running water — at the permission of the owner, in exchange for labouring work around the rural Dunedin property.
It was known as the "Wild West Woodside Gun Club", where he and three other members would practice axe-throwing, crossbow skills and shooting, he told Probation.
Black claimed it had been "a rat infested, mouldy, stinking, bullet-ridden hovel" before he had improved it.
In an interview before sentencing he said his decision to raze the hut was justified.
"He doesn’t accept what he did was wrong," Judge Turner said.
In March 2021, Black refused to be vaccinated against Covid-19, which led to tension between him and the victims.
Eight months later they trespassed him from the property.
On October 27 last year, the victims wrote a letter to Black requesting he remove his belongings within a month.
It took only hours for the defendant to react.
The next day, Black walked to his former dwelling, sneaking around the back of the victims’ property to avoid detection.
After removing his belongings, he tipped over a kerosene lamp, removed the wick and placed it on the bed.
He then dipped some fabric in the kerosene and left it at the door before setting it alight.
Black admitted to police what he had done and explained he was angry he had been asked to leave, given the time and effort he had spent improving the hut.
He did not want it used by anyone else, he said.
In an interview with Probation, Black expanded on his reasons for torching the structure, outlining an ongoing feud with his friend’s wife, who he said wanted to rent the hut to others.
He said "the final straw" came when someone cut the padlock off the door and stole one of his treasured guitars.
Ms Scally said her client had had no issues with the victims since the incident and was not a risk to the public.
The structure measured only 2m x 3m and the court heard there was no reparation sought by the owners.
"It’s a very unusual set of circumstances and probably an unusual defendant also," Ms Scally said.
Black had more recently been given a new collapsible hut on another friend’s property but said he preferred his cave.
He was granted leave to apply to have the prison term converted to home detention should an appropriate address become available.
Meet John Black
Born: June 12, 1964.
Name: Russell John Tingle. Also known as John Russell Black or "Little John".
Lives: A cave at Outram Glen.
Net worth: No bank account, no vehicle, no debt. Undertakes menial work in exchange for necessities.
Work history: Qualified "water engineer" but began working on an organic farm at 19 after suffering a severe neck injury in a bike accident.
Pastimes: Black says he smokes up to 10 cannabis joints a week and uses the class-C drug in his home-made pizza dough and bread. He accessed the substance by "scabbing off others".
Religious beliefs: He has recently established his own church dubbed "Bell Cross", which he describes as "a music show rather than a religion ... based on a childishly simplistic version of the Bible".Black says he uses alcohol "religiously" and his tastes stretch to "communion wine or wine-strength beer".
