KEY POINTS:
A teenager who tagged the Tauranga Harbour Bridge with black paint has been told by a district court judge to try marketing his art.
"If you think you are a good artist, put some work on a board or canvas and put it up for sale and see what the public think about it," Judge Peter Rollo advised Chas Karaka, 17, in the Tauranga District Court yesterday.
Karaka pleaded guilty to a charge of intentionally damaging the harbour bridge, the property of Tauranga City Council.
Prosecutor Sergeant Sean Brennan said Karaka and three associates tagged the side of the bridge with an aerosol spray can about 3pm on June 6.
Letters and symbols covered an area that measured 10m by 3m.
The defendant said he wanted to change tagging already on the bridge because it "looked ugly".
His lawyer, Nicholas Dutch, said Karaka was employed as a casual labourer. "He says he will not be doing this sort of thing again."
Judge Rollo said a fair area of the bridge had been defaced and Karaka's actions offended a lot of people in the community.
Tagging was destructive to the beauty of the city and its amenities.
"It is expensive to remove and you are going to contribute to that expense," said the judge, fining Karaka $500, to be paid off at the rate of $30 a week.
- NZPA
