The vandalism happened at Andersons Bay Cemetery. Photo: ODT Files A Dunedin man has admitted scratching a name off a family gravestone because he was ‘‘angry about the past’’. Kim Adam Jenks, 52, pleaded guilty in the Dunedin District Court this week to wilful damage and threatening behaviour. The court heard that on February 9 the defendant drove past Andersons Bay Cemetery and saw a group of his family members there. Jenks yelled abuse at them out of his car window and an argument broke out. ‘‘I’m going to kill all you c....,’’ he said before driving off. A week later, Jenks got into another row with family members at the cemetery and threatened to ‘‘smash over your grandmother’s grave’’. About a month later, a member of the family went back and noticed the gravestone belonging to her grandparents had been vandalised. A name on the headstone had been scratched off and covered in paint, a police summary said. Jenks told police he caused the damage ‘‘in the heat of the moment’’ and he was ‘‘angry about the past’’. This week, Judge David Robinson said the offending was ‘‘troubling’’. ‘‘It’s no way to treat the family or the memory of the person commemorated by that gravestone,’’ he said. ‘‘I would’ve thought that common civility would be the answer to all of these issues.’’ Medical evidence provided by the defendant’s lawyer gave the judge some insight into the incident. He acknowledged there were obviously complex background factors. He deferred Jenks’ sentence for 12 months and ordered him to pay $1430 reparation. The judge encouraged the defendant to look after himself and get support if he needed it. He warned repeat behaviour would warrant a sterner response. felicity.dear@odt.co.nz
