John Russell Black (58) – who goes by "Little John”, also known as Russell John Tingle - appeared in the Dunedin District Court this afternoon after pleading guilty to arson.
His counsel Meg Scally argued community work was an appropriate outcome 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 in a small hut – without electricity or running water – at the permission of the owner, in exchange 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 and 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,” said Judge Turner.
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.
In the afternoon of the following 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.
When the victims saw the hut ablaze, firefighters were called but they were unable to save the structure.
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.
Black said he had more recently been given a new collapsible hut on another friend’s property but preferred his cave.
