Wanaka arsonist jailed for four years

A Wanaka arsonist who set fire to four telecommunications boxes in the town last year, was seeking revenge against his employer, the Invercargill District Court was told today.

Jan Hermanus Campher, 33, was jailed for four years for the arsons which crippled phone, internet, eftpos and emergency telecommunications in Wanaka for more than a day.

Judge Kevin Phillips described Campher's offending as vindictive, causing more than $130,000 worth of damage to the boxes alone.

In April last year Campher was dismissed from his job for misconduct. He was a telecommunications specialist who worked for a Telecom subcontractor.

He approached his employer in June in an attempt to get his job back but was told "no". On June 11 Campher set fire to two boxes. The first was found by a police officer and extinguished but the second wasn't discovered until the next morning.

He lit two more fires on the night of June 12.

Judge Phillips said the cost of the disruption to telecommunication services was not restricted to his employer but had flowed on to businesses and individuals throughout the community. He said there had been a real risk of an explosive fire which could easily have harmed innocent members of the public or emergency services.

- NZPA