MEDIA RELEASE

25 July 2003

Auckland graffiti vandal pleads guilty to
criminal damage charges

An 18-year-old Auckland man pleaded guilty in the Auckland District Court yesterday to charges of criminal damage.

Robert William Hill, from Mt Albert, etched his tag into the glass on Adshell and Auckland City Council bus stops and several Auckland shop windows. The damage is estimated to have cost $12,324.

He was convicted and remanded on bail for sentencing on 22 August 2003.

Auckland City’s Law and Order Committee Chair, Councillor Noelene Raffills, says she is delighted he is before the court. The man was apprehended following a covert operation conducted by Auckland City’s graffiti prevention officer and a private investigator contracted by the council.

“Auckland City faces a plague of graffiti vandalism. Some of these prolific vandals are costing ratepayers and private property owners thousands of dollars. The best way to help young people stop offending is to hold them fully accountable for their actions,” she says.

Since its inception in October 2000, Auckland City’s ‘Zero Tolerance’ graffiti programme has been responsible for the eradication of graffiti tags from more than 43,000 sites and the apprehension of 118 graffiti vandals.

Graffiti vandal Roberta Stewart was fined $5,165 and ordered to undertake 120 hours of community service after she was found guilty of wilful damage under the Crimes Act late last year.

Ends

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