A West Coaster who snuck through wild bush to empty a pump-action shotgun into an enemy's ute - with the terrified victim huddled inside - has been jailed.
Danny Harold Kay, 46, had a long-running beef with the unnamed victim, believing that he had slaughtered his animals and stolen from him.
So, in the late morning of September 23, last year, Kay and two mates drove to the victim's rural property in Barrytown, 21km north of Runanga to seek vigilante justice.
It was a decision that would today result in the painter being sentenced to two and a half years in prison.
Christchurch district court heard this morning that Kay, armed with a 12 gauge pump action shotgun, and his friends parked in a paddock, away from the target's house, before walking through the bush.
The trio hid in the bush at the boundary of the victim's property, but his dog, and an equally alert goat, blew their cover.
The victim shouted out that he'd phoned the police, before getting in his Toyota Hilux ute and driving to where Kay had parked.
He blocked in Kay's car, before smashing all of its windows with a heavy log splitter.
Running back to his vehicle, Kay fired a shot into the air, before training his gun on the victim who was inside his ute, firing a volley of four shots _ a combination of buckshot rounds and solid slugs.
Miraculously, the victim escaped physical injury, but as Judge Paul Kellar noted today, the same could not be said for the ute.
It was hit "numerous times", suffering two flat tyres, smashed windows and wing mirror, and several damaged panels.
The victim also suffered emotional harm, but the judge said he had inflamed the situation by blocking Kay in and smashing his car's windows.
Judge Kellar also accepted that some of the victim's fears would be alleviated by Kay's promise never to return to the Barrytown area.
Defence counsel Tony Garrett his client told him that his hunting skills and firearms experience meant that if he had "wanted to do worse'' he could have done so.
But Mr Garrett said that view was of "little value", adding that Kay's outlook and attitude has improved greatly since he was arrested.
"Whether his animals were slaughtered by the victim, or there were other acts of thieving ... it doesn't matter. It's not an issue to hang on to,'' Mr Garrett said.
In sentencing Kay on an admitted charge of committing a dangerous act with intent to injure, Judge Kellar accepted that he was remorseful, and had previously been of good character.
