Waihopai spy-base verdict irks locals

Some Marlborough residents have criticised the acquittal of the three men who damaged the Waihopai spy base in April 2008.

Dominican friar Peter Murnane, 69, farmer Sam Land, 26, and schoolteacher Adrian Leason, 45, were found not guilty by a Wellington District Court jury on Wednesday on charges of burglary and wilful damage to property.

They admitted breaking into the spy base near Blenheim and slashing the inflatable plastic dome covering a satellite dish.

Crown Law said yesterday it may appeal the verdict. It said the trial judge had reserved a question of law in connection with the "claim of right" – the legal defence used by the three activists.

The accused argued they had carried out the attack in the honest belief it would prevent harm being done to others, which made their actions lawful.

Marlborough Mayor Alistair Sowman said the verdict sent a poor message and might tempt others to try similar action.

"I can't understand how you can damage property and walk away without a conviction. That seems very strange to me," he said.

Dennis Jackson, whose home is close to the base, said: "There will be repercussions from this. I'm sure there will be. You can't let people get away with this sort of thing.

"There was quite a bit of damage done. It's ... a little bit amazing that they are getting away with something that cost the taxpayer a lot of money. I think that will be the general feeling on most people's minds."

Blenheim banker Craig Corban said it was "ridiculous" that the men were acquitted, and he was not impressed with their "greater good" defence.

"You can use an excuse for everything. At the end of the day, you can't go around damaging property to prove a point," he said.

Green Party local election candidate and Anti-Bases Campaign member Steffan Browning said the verdict was a victory for morality.

"These men, in a selfless act, deflated the spy base dome to save lives in Iraq and to raise attention to the base's involvement in United States-led wars" he said.

"This is in stark contrast to Marlburians complicit with a US war tool operating in their midst."

Bruce Bromwich, a Rarangi network engineer, said the verdict was "wrong".

"Quite simply, the defence doesn't stand up. It's a pretty grey defence."

He did not believe the spy base was killing people overseas as the protesters said, but he did not know what the base did.

"You've got to have trust in your government for some things."

Bromwich was upset that taxpayers would pay the bill for the incident, a stance shared by Blenheim real estate agent Robbie Moore.

"Even if they had been found guilty, they wouldn't have been able to get [the protesters] to pay up," Moore said. "It's just a political way of getting out of it. Nobody else could do that much damage and get away with it."

Havelock field researcher Tanya O'Brien said she would like to see the base closed.

"Why have we got an American spy base in Blenheim anyway?"

She was elated that the protesters were acquitted.

Marlborough District councillor Gerald Hope said the saga was an "absolute waste" of taxpayers' money, as well as disruption to the work that the base did.

"If I was a juror I would have wanted a conviction. The cost alone was worth a conviction," he said.

Ploughshares activist group spokesman Graham Cameron did not believe the verdict would encourage another attack on the spy base.

- © Fairfax NZ News