Accused lays blame on other agents
Tribunal told recipients sent vile packages to themselves to incriminate him
The real estate agent accused of sending soiled sanitary pads, used condoms and a decapitated rat through the post says the recipients sent the parcels to themselves to incriminate him.
Grant Campbell Tucker says he also took “extreme caution” when he sent a glass bowl of faeces to his former boss’ lawyer and used a whole roll of cling film.
The agent faces two charges of disgraceful misconduct and is appearing before a Real Estate Agents Disciplinary Tribunal this week. He denies the charges.
Tucker, a Buddhist, worked for Auckland-based Custom Residential in 2011 but left after a dispute over commission. He later took a successful complaint against the agency to the Disputes Tribunal, receiving a financial payout.
But prosecutor Michael Hodge said Tucker then launched a sustained campaign against Custom director Johnathan Wills and Wills’ solicitor, David Beard.
In April 2015, Tucker pleaded guilty to a criminal charge of posting a noxious substance (namely faeces) to Beard and was discharged without conviction.
After taking an early lunch adjournment because he was overcome with emotion while reading his opening submissions, Tucker yesterday told the tribunal he found the glass bowl of faeces in his letterbox with his name scrawled on the blue plastic lid after an argument with his exgirlfriend, Gilly Mirkin, who still worked for Wills.
Tucker said he wanted to show Beard “the type of people” the lawyer was acting for and that he had taken “extreme measures” to protect the package using a whole roll of cling film before he bubblewrapped it. But he admitted he should have labelled the package as toxic and used a courier, which is more secure and not illegal.
“I just felt he [ Beard] should be aware of the type of people he engaged with,” Tucker said.
Hand delivering it was not appropriate because a trespass notice had been served against him, Tucker said.
But he said he regretted sending the faeces and called it an impulsive action.
When Beard received the package, the glass had broken inside and Tucker said he believed there was a “50-50 possibility” Beard had broken the bowl himself to make the act look more sinister.
Tucker, who is representing himself, also denied sending a decapitated rat with the note “jilted lover” to Wills in February 2014. He did not accept the prosecutor’s argument that he sent it because he’d just been pepper-sprayed by Mirkin the weekend before.
Tucker also said Wills and Beard sent the four other offensive packages, two each, of used condoms and sanitary pads, to themselves as part of a scheme to attack him.
“Why would I send something that would incriminate me?”
Hodge argued Tucker’s animosity towards the two men was such that he would commit “these offensive and stupid acts”.
Tucker, who now works for Net Realty, denied it was him.
The hearing continues tomorrow.