Grant Tucker is facing charges over an alleged campaign of harrassment against his former boss and a lawyer. Photo / NZME
Grant Tucker is facing charges over an alleged campaign of harrassment against his former boss and a lawyer. Photo / NZME
A real estate agent facing misconduct proceedings is accused of sending soiled sanitary pads, used condoms and a decapitated rat through the post.
Prosecutors say Grant Tucker also sent offensive and derogatory letters and emails, which included homophobic slurs, in a "campaign of harassment" targeting his former boss and a lawyer.
Tucker has previously admitted sending a jar of faeces through the post, but the Real Estate Agents Authority has now charged him with more offences.
Appearing yesterday before the Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal he denied two charges of disgraceful misconduct.
The tribunal heard Tucker worked for Auckland-based Custom Residential in 2011 but left after a dispute over commission. He later took a successful complaint against the agency to the Disputes Tribunal, receiving a financial payout.
But prosecutor Michael Hodge said Tucker then launched a sustained campaign against Custom director Johnathan Wills and Wills' solicitor David Beard.
This allegedly included sending offensive, derogatory and defamatory emails and letters to staff and clients, vandalising Custom Residential open home signs and sending "disgusting" packages to the two men by post.
Wills described opening a putrid package in 2014 that had leaked brown liquid on to a staff member's dress. It contained a decapitated rat. The package's "sender" panel read: "Jilted lover."
Tucker also left an offensive voice message on Wills' phone calling him a "c**k sucking f*****t, Wills told the tribunal.
After Wills instructed Beard to issue a trespass notice against Tucker, the disgruntled former employee posted a jar of faeces to the lawyer's office.
Beard said he began opening the courier-type package "but as I started I smelled something vile".
He took it to police and opened it outside with an officer using protective gloves.
"Inside was what looked and smelled like human faeces. I was gagging over the side of Auckland Central Police Station ... and took the rest of the afternoon off."
The package contained no warning that its contents were harmful or toxic, Wills said.
Tucker was charged by police over the incident. He admitted sending the package but claimed it was first sent to him anonymously by his former partner who was "in cahoots" with Wills, and he was simply returning it.
David Beard. Photo / Supplied
He was discharged without conviction.
In July 2015, Beard said he received a similar package addressed to him at his office.
Suspecting it was also from Tucker, Beard opened it using "pink rubber dishwashing gloves". It contained a soiled pad and used condom plus a note stating: "Harden up son."
Tucker is also accused of egging a Custom staffer's car and saying to Wills in Ponsonby: "Found your balls yet you gutless piece of s**t?"
Tucker, who now works for Net Realty and is representing himself at the hearing, questioned the truthfulness of both Wills and Beard during cross-examination.
The tribunal heard a handwriting expert found samples of the letter were "inconclusive" in finding evidence linking the letters to Tucker.
Tucker also established that no samples from the sanitary pads, condoms or faeces were sent away for testing.
"There is no confirmation from any expert that they contained what has been claimed to be the contents of those packages," Tucker told the tribunal.
