The old Oamaru Hospital used to be a place where sick people went to be cured. These days, however, it seems to have become a target for vandals.
A 19-year-old Oamaru man was arrested and charged with wilful damage and assault on Sunday evening following an incident at the old hospital.
Community Constable Bruce Dow said the man was apprehended, along with seven other males, after getting into a confrontation with the owner of the building.
It was the second time in three days the building owner had had problems at the property, after finding on Friday that significant damage had been done to the buildings.
In that instance, the building had sustained water damage, paint had been tipped over floors and windows had been smashed.
There was no suggestion the damage found on Friday and that effected on Sunday was done by the same people, as the building had been targeted by vandals since it was sold about 10 years ago, Const Dow said.
"The building continues to be the target of a certain brainless, ragtag, criminal element in Oamaru, for some unknown reason," he said.
"I'd hate to think how many windows have been smashed there."
The building had been "systematically destroyed" over a long period of time and stripped bare of all traces of copper pipe and wiring, he said.
Const Dow called for anyone with knowledge of any vandalism to contact police.
