Hamilton mother Raewyn Susan Newport, 49, has been jailed for having a “spiritual awakening” after downing two bottles of wine and then setting fire to a rented home. Photo/123rf
Raewyn Susan Newport downed two bottles of wine, listened to music and danced in the rain.
She then set fire to the room she had rented.
The 49-year-old woman later told police that she had recently had a spiritual awakening and that the destruction of her home meant she didn’t have to return.
A Hamilton woman listed in court documents as a factory worker was recently sentenced to 22 months and one week in prison for arson in Hamilton District Court after a suitable home detention address could not be found.
“2 bottles of wine. 4 hours.
Newport had rented a property on Fifth Avenue in Enderley on May 9 last year.
Sometime between 3pm and 4pm, she went to the supermarket and bought two bottles of wine, which she drank over the next three to four hours.
Just like that, she danced outside in the rain, listened to music, walked to the Z Energy Service station to pick up her Zigzag papers, and returned home again.
Then she turned on the electric stove and placed a tea towel over the elements.
Newport told police that he could not sustain the fire, so he went to his car, which was parked several meters away, and got a blowtorch.
She went back inside and used a torch to ignite a mattress in her bedroom, then headed to the lounge and set a couch cushion on fire.
Newport then grabbed several paper bags and used them to start a fire inside the car, before leaving on foot.
The fire caused $350,000 to $400,000 worth of damage and approximately $20,000 in lost income. It is unclear how much the insurance surplus will be.
“erratic or unusual behavior”
Her lawyer, Gerald Walsh, compiled various expert reports examining her mental health and personal circumstances, most of which were suppressed by Judge Philip Clayton.
But Ms Walsh said she had no assets available for home detention but asked to be granted leave so she could apply at a later date.
Judge Clayton said any sentence he imposed “must ensure the safety and protection of the community going forward”.
“At first glance, approaching the issue logically, this crime leaves little room for explanation, is completely sudden and illogical, but is consistent with what appears to be some kind of mental health crisis. Please accept that.”
Mr Newport attended a restorative justice conference and issued a “clear and unreserved apology”.
The judge added that she now also has to “come to terms with what is called her ‘spirituality'”.
It appears that it was the heavy consumption of alcohol that underpinned her behavior and changed her behavior from eccentric to criminal.
“It doesn’t alleviate it, but it does explain it. It’s something that you yourself are aware of, and of course, because you are aware of it, you need to do something about it.”
After taking a starting point of three years and six months, he attended restorative justice last September before choosing the option of deporting her, due to her early guilty plea, mental health and 27th The contents of the Article’s cultural report were applied to the credits. To prison.
“I would have liked to have this sentence reduced to home detention if I had an address, but unfortunately I do not have an address and there is no alternative to reflect the serious crimes that took place here.
“Fortunately, the impact of this violation was not dramatic in terms of the impact on the parties involved, but it was in terms of the financial cost to the insurance company.”
He granted her leave to apply for home detention.
Belinda Feek is an Open Justice reporter based in the Waikato. She worked for NZME for nine years and has been a journalist for 20 years.
