Quake claimant Russell Carr who judge found squirted acid over EQC cars avoids jail

CCTV footage released to the Herald shows a white van (top) driving through EQC's Christchurch staff car-park spraying paint stripper over cars. Photo / supplied

A quick scramble to find $7000 and the promise to swing another $8000 has spared a quake claimant who vandalised Earthquake Commission cars a stint in jail.

Semi-retired Christchurch painter and decorator Russell Taylor Carr, 57, was told by a disgruntled judge this morning that he would've be jailed this afternoon unless he coughed up some cash for the damage he's caused.

Carr was found guilty of intentional damage after a judge-alone trial earlier this year.

He had admitted being in dispute with the much-maligned Crown entity for more than two years over a quake-damaged property but vehemently denied the vandalism allegations.

Carr was due to be sentenced at 9.30am today before Judge Stephen O'Driscoll at Christchurch District Court who immediately wanted to know what Carr's plan for reparation was.

Defence counsel Nikita Mitskevitch said the amount sought to cover the damages, and not including the cost of testing the liquid used in the acid attack, was more than $14,000.

The lawyer said that Carr was semi-retired but did do some work and if the judge imposed reparation, he could make an arrangement to repay some money.

But O'Driscoll wasn't having it. "No. He's denying the offending. I do not believe he will pay it."

The judge noted that Carr had planned an overseas trip and was selling a property. If he failed to make some "meaningful" reparation payments, he faced jail today, where he could then apply for an electronically-monitored sentence.

"I'm not playing games with him and he's not playing games with me," said Judge O'Driscoll.

"His attitude at the moment is such that I have no confidence he would pay one cent of reparation if it was left up to him."

The judge stood the matter down until 2.15pm so Carr could decide whether he could come up with some reparation.

"Bring a bag if there's no reparation being offered," the judge warned him.

When the case recalled at 2.15pm today, Carr told the court he could pay $7000 up front.

But he asked for some more time to pay the remainder.

A friend could loan him $8000 within a week but he would prefer to get the rest from a bank.

Judge O'Driscoll agreed to defer sentence until June 11 for Carr to come up with the remaining $8000, which would be a "significant mitigating factor" that would mean he'd avoid jail when he sentenced him that day.

During the trial, Carr said "extensive problems" with EQC, including allegations that it accused him of lying and falsifying documentation, led to a complaint being lodged with the Office of the Ombudsman.

EQC said its vehicles had been vandalised twice in 2015, which prompted it to install CCTV in their staff carpark.

On July 1, 2016 a white van was recorded on security cameras driving past staff vehicles.

Grainy footage seen by the Herald shows a clear liquid coming from the passing driver's window and splashing onto EQC cars and utes.

Laboratory tests concluded the substance to have been paint stripper or similar industrial solvent.

Carr repeatedly denied the claims, although he admitted he didn't like EQC, like thousands of Cantabrians.

Judge O'Driscoll concluded that Carr was the van driver.