Man 'ripping off whanau'
A Dargaville man was told by Judge Duncan Harvey he "was ripping off your own whanau" for illegally taking toheroa.
Appearing in Dargaville District Court on Thursday, Jess Mansell, 26, withdrew earlier not guilty pleas made in December and admitted to taking toheroa without a permit and to giving a false name to a Fisheries Officer. Mansell also admitted the theft of a motor vehicle.
"You know as well as anyone you are not entitled to these shellfish without a permit ... they are a protected species ... without protection, we could lose them ..," said Judge Harvey.
On the fishery charges he convicted Mansell to 60 hours' community work and banned him from fishing or the gathering of any shellfish three years.
On the charge of theft of a motor vehicle, Mansell was sentenced to two months home detention, cumulative to the home detention sentence he was currently serving for other matters and disqualified from driving for eight months.
