Crown seizes Napier gunman's house

The interior of Napier gunman Jan Molenaar's house. Photo / supplied

The house at the centre of a fatal three-day siege involving police and Napier gunman Jan Molenaar is to be seized by the Crown.

Justice Douglas White yesterday approved an application by the Solicitor-General seeking forfeiture of the house and cash.

Molenaar and his partner, Delwyn Keefe, were found to have been selling cannabis in the five years leading up to the May 2009 siege, Fairfax Media reported.

Molenaar, 51, shot dead Senior Constable Len Snee and injured three others when police went to his Chaucer Rd home with a cannabis search warrant.

The siege ended when Molenaar, who had collected a cache of military-style weapons, was found dead with a self-inflicted shotgun wound.

The Crown sought the house, valued at $215,000, as well as $21,000 cash found in the house and $74,283 in bank accounts.

Cannabis worth between $77,950 and $131,750 was also found at the house. Based on it's value Keefe and Molenaar would have made between $400,000 and $650,000 over the five years.

Keefe opposed the seizure but admitted the cash was from drug sales.

The Crown proved the money in the bank account was also from the sale of cannabis but could not prove that all of it had come from Keefe.

Justice White said he was satisfied that at least half the cash and bank money were proceeds of drug sales by Keefe.

He also found that the use of the property was an integral part of Keefe's offending and forfeiture of it was warranted.

He ordered the property and half the $95,000 in cash and bank money be forfeited to the Crown.

Molenaar's son was entitled to two-thirds of the remaining $47,000.

Keefe is on parole after serving nine months of a 27-month jail term imposed in 2009.

- NZPA