Jason Karl Blackler (49) was sentenced in April last year but came before the court last month to appeal the length of that jail term, which was imposed for the manslaughter of 66-year-old Alan James Fahey.
While he faces a nervous wait for the Court of Appeal's decision, he may be similarly apprehensive about seeing the state of his vehicle, which has been parked in the suburb of Corstorphine while he has been behind bars.
Casey John Antill (17) appeared in the Dunedin District Court last week after admitting two counts of wilful damage and one of making a false statement.
On January 4, she became angry her mother was looking after the vehicle and took to it with a bottle jack, smashing the front windscreen.
Later, Antill told her mother about the damage but when reporting the matter to police, said that she did not know who was responsible.
Four weeks later, after consuming alcohol, the defendant repeated the act.
This time, however, Antill came clean to her mother and the police.
"In explanation she stated that she was very angry at her mother's ex-partner and had become frustrated at the damage it had caused her family," court documents said.
"Damaging the vehicle was a way to let out her frustration. She knew it was wrong and that was why she phoned police."
Antill said she was too afraid to admit responsibility after the first incident.
Defence counsel Andrew Dawson told the court the defendant was living in supported accommodation and otherwise doing well.
She was remorseful for the outbursts, he said.
Judge John Macdonald said the crimes were relatively minor but quickly added the proviso: "that's not to encourage you to do similar things in future".
He sentenced Antill to six months' supervision and ordered her to pay for the $564 of damage at $5 a week.
