Arsonist's minimum time in jail quashed on appeal

The Court of Appeal has dismissed an arsonist's appeal against the length of his prison sentence, but quashed the minimum parole.

Sonny Billy Rikiriki was jailed last year for six years and three months, with a minimum non-parole period of 4 years, after being convicted of three Rotorua arsons.

The appeal judges dismissed Rikiriki's appeal against sentence, saying he was "clearly a recidivist" although none of his previous 120 convictions were for arson.

However, they noted the sentencing judge erred in his calculation of minimum period of imprisonment.

"The minimum sentence could only attach to an individual sentence, though the judge imposed cumulative sentences, using that as the base to calculate the minimum parole period.

"If the judge had chosen to impose three concurrent sentences, with the longest reflecting all the offending, then the minimum imprisonment period would have been rather longer."

The arsons involved two vehicles and a flat, resulting in $50,000 damage.

- NZPA