Police happy serial arsonist off streets

Lee Jo van Haaren in court earlier last month. Picture / Michael Cunningham

A grandmother who was sleeping rough has been found guilty of being a serial arsonist.

Lee Jo van Haaren, 45 -- who had been living under a bridge -- was yesterday found guilty of lighting eight fires around Kaitaia last year.

Detective Sergeant Mark Robertson said, "I'm just pleased for the Kaitaia community really. We've got the serial arsonist off the streets."

The arsons included one that gutted a five- classroom block at Kaitaia Primary School, causing about $500,000 of damage.

Van Haaren had been charged with 11 arsons, mainly in central Kaitaia, between February 14 and May 19, 2005.

At the time she was living under a bridge in Redan Rd and in a "bush-camp type arrangement" in Kaitaia's Okahu Rd Domain.

After a 10-day trial in Whangarei District Court, and seven hours of deliberation, the jury found her guilty on all but three of the charges of arson.

Judge John McDonald remanded her in custody for sentencing on September 28.

In his summing up yesterday, Judge John McDonald told the jury van Haaren was not on trial for the way she chose to live.

"She is here because the Crown has charged her with 11 counts of arson," he said.

"The sole issue of this trial is whether it has been proven beyond reasonable doubt that it was van Haaren that lit these fires."

He said the Crown had relied on circumstantial evidence in its case because no one had seen van Haaren actually lighting the fires, but there was nothing second-rate about circumstantial evidence.

During the trial, Crown prosecutor Peter Magee said although no one had seen the fires being lit, there were many elements tying the fires together, and tying van Haaren to them.

Van Haaren's motive was her anger at social agencies who removed her primary school-aged granddaughter from her care in January, he said.

The defence had argued the evidence put up by the Crown had been a "smokescreen" and said there was no evidence of motive for many of the fires. Van Haaren's lawyer, Catherine Cull, argued there was no similarity in the blazes and the Crown had not come anywhere near proving the accused had lit them.

The jury found van Haaren was responsible for fires at Kaitaia Primary School, the Far North District Council's service centre (twice), the Kaitaia Community Centre, the Kaitaia Community Church, the Waitomo Papakainga Development Society building, a handrail and retaining wall next to an Okahu Rd house, and the 99-year-old kauri villa housing the Far North Arts Centre.

She was found not guilty of setting fire to a tree at Okahu Rd Domain, the Mangonui Netball Clubrooms, and an area at the rear of the Kaitaia Work and Income building.

- NORTHERN ADVOCATE (WHANGAREI)