Watcher faces arson charge

Press, 11 September 1986, Page 4

Watcher faces arson charge

PA Gisborne A member of the Ruatoria neighbourhood watch group set up to guard against arson attempts has been accused of setting fire to a house in the East Coast township. The house was occupied by members of a Rastafarian community, the Crown alleged in the High Court at Gisborne. Graeme Kenneth Mathieson, aged 18, a shepherd, pleaded not guilty to wilfully setting fire to a house occupied by John Thomas Heeney and Donna Rangitaria Moses on February 22, thereby committing arson. The trial, expected to take about three days, is before Mr Justice Thorp and a jury. The Crown prosecutor is Mr Terry Stapleton arid defence counsel is Mr Tony Adfane. Mr Stapleton said the fire was connected with

difficulties and divisions which occurred in Ruatoria over the last 18 months. He described Mathieson as a hard and willing worker at a station near Ruatoria. For some months he had belonged to the neighbourhood watch group, for which he worked willingly. On February 17 Mathieson found three of his horses were missing. The horses cost him $5OO each, which he had paid from his wages. He spent some time that week looking for them and was upset and distressed. He became convinced members of the Rastafarian group had taken them. He believed the group had stolen other horses, and he, his mother and his girlfriend had been threatened. The Crown alleged that he decided to get evenly setting fire to the group’shome.