Second offender remanded for sentence in major Rotorua poaching case

The second of two men convicted of large-scale poaching in the Rotorua District Court, who was on the police wanted list, has been remanded for sentencing next month.

David Pake Leef, 36, of Te Teko, made a brief appearance in the Rotorua District Court today .

Leef was remanded on bail to appear with his co-offender Thomas Tawha, 42, for sentencing on April 28. Tawha was the first to be arrested and appeared in court last month where he was granted bail.

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Warrants for their arrest were issued when the pair failed to appear in the Rotorua District Court for sentence.

The pair were found guilty in November last year of poaching as many as 60 spawning trout from a highly valued spawning stream near Lake Rotiti.

The case has been described by Fish & Game as one of the worst in over a decade. The offences carry maximum penalties of two years imprisonment and/or a $100,000 fine.”

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