Tagger sent to jail for 'cultural' slur

Another Hawke's Bay tagger has been packed off to prison, with a judge telling the culprit that graffiti vandalism is culturally offensive.

Randall Grey, 19, appeared in Napier District Court yesterday and was sentenced to two months in prison for tagging several businesses, fences and power boxes in Taradale on October 11.

Grey caused $2042 in damage and was ordered to pay reparation - but did not pay a cent. In January, while on bail, he stole a car. Grey has spent the past 115 nights in prison on remand.

When Grey's lawyer Michael McAleer raised the 28-day prison sentence handed to another graffiti vandal, Ford Randell, last month, Judge Tony Adeane replied that Grey had "the distinction of being the man who brought about a change in judicial thinking".

"There are some photographs here available to anyone who wants to see them if someone should be inclined to suggest that this has a quality of art, culture or legitimate expression," the judge said.

"Part of it involves nothing more artful than the use of a tin stencil to stencil the word `Comps' repeatedly on a fence that somebody treats as part of their home.

"People treat this as something between an insult and an offence. They do not like it, Mr Grey. It offends people culturally, people whose culture involves the accumulation of attractive property and creating a nice environment," the judge said.

He reminded Grey that in November, "you and I had a little discussion". Grey had promised to attend a restorative justice conference, pay $75 a week reparation and not to consume alcohol. Since then he had made no reparation payments and had offended again. Grey's victims refused to attend a restorative justice conference with him. Grey was sentenced to six months prison for stealing the car and a further two months for his tagging.

He was ordered to pay reparation of $2042 for tagging and $1135 for the stolen car. Judge Adeane had previously jailed Randell for 28 days for tagging, a decision upheld on appeal by the High Court at Napier.

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