Career up in smoke

Lani Aperahama. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The firefighter who cooked her two-timing boyfriend's shoes in a microwave has now been fired from her job.

Lani Aperahama had hoped to keep her job after she was convicted of intentional damage and blackmail in the High Court at Auckland.

But this week Fire Service region two manager Russell Wood said: "In accordance with New Zealand Fire Service policy and process regarding breaches of its standards of conduct, the service has terminated its employment of Rotorua firefighter Lani Aperahama.

"As this is an employment matter we are unable to comment further."

Aperahama, 40, and Kaycee Wall, 30, were sentenced to 350 hours community service for intentional damage and blackmail in March.

A court heard that Aperahama and Wall were tipped off by a mutual friend that they were seeing the same man. Aperahama had been living with the man in his home for 18 months, while he saw Wall on the side without either woman knowing.

They met up at his house while Aperahama was removing her property. Wall poured maple syrup in his bed, and Aperahama nuked a pair of shoes she had bought for him.

They threatened to send pictures he had sent them both, of his genitals, to his workplace, bank and a cafe where his daughter worked, unless he paid them each $4000.

Instead of bowing to the threats, the man, who has name suppression, went to the police.

Aperahama trained as a firefighter after the break-up of her first marriage and had been stationed at Rotorua.

The mother-of-two has since moved to Auckland.

A family member, who asked not to be named, said Aperahama was upset that the incident had ruined her career.