Home detention for paua poacher

A Chistchurch man has been sentenced to four months' home detention and 250 hours of community work for paua poaching.

Emele Pouiva was sentenced by Judge David Saunders in Christchurch District Court today after pleading guilty before trial to charges of illegally taking and possessing the shellfish.

He took shellfish from around the Banks Peninsula for the black market, targeting the Asian community for the Chinese New Year.

Pouiva was not banned from fishing, but the judge warned him that if he offended against the fisheries regulations again he would not be granted leniency and would face a lengthy ban.

He told Pouiva: "This was not a case where you were going there to get paua to feed your family".

- NZPA