Man jailed for arson and protection order offences against stepfather
Jesse Simkin “hates” his stepfather so much that he set fire to the man’s motorcycles. He also had little interest in hearing the resulting punishment, calling on a judge to “hurry up” and to stop “wasting my time”.
“If I’m not getting home detention then just send me... hurry up, you’re wasting my time and other people’s time,” the 24-year-old told Judge Tony Couch on Wednesday.
But the judge pushed back, warning Simkin he’d be out on his ear if he didn’t keep quiet.
“Being abusive isn’t going to help you at all Mr Simkin. If you choose to interrupt me further, you’ll be out the door and you simply won’t hear the conclusion,” Judge Couch responded.
Simkin was in Christchurch District Court for sentencing on a raft of charges in relation to his stepfather - the man he admitted he had wanted to “hurt”.
In November last year Simkin went to his stepfather’s house and poured petrol over two of the man’s motorcycles.
Simkin then grabbed a match and set fire to the bikes. The blaze quickly took hold and caused significant damage to the garage and the motorcycles.
As nearby residents called emergency services, Simkin left the property.
When questioned by police, Simkin said he “hated his stepfather and wanted to hurt him as much as he could”.
He admitted his intention was to destroy the motorcycles and said the garage had been collateral damage.
Three weeks later, the stepfather was granted a temporary protection order against Simkin by the Christchurch Family Court.
But that did little to keep Simkin at bay.
In January this year, he went to his stepfather’s house and broke a security camera at the front of the property with a piece of wood, before kicking it around.
The following month, Simkin sent the man a number of messages through social media, including: “nail in a coffin cemetery is your favourite place [sic]”, causing the stepfather to become concerned for his safety.
In court, he faced sentence on a charge of arson, two counts of breaching a protection order and two of intentional damage.
Simkin faced a further intentional damage charge relating to a mattress he ripped while in custody at the Christchurch Central Police Station.
Simkin’s lawyer argued for a sentence of home detention but Judge Couch said that was not an appropriate outcome given the offending.
It was then that Simkin’s displeasure set in.
Shortly after, he was jailed for two years and eight months and ordered to pay reparation for the motorcycles and garage, though the amount was yet to be determined.
Reparation of $229 was also sought for the security camera and $296 for the cell mattress.