Clap accused offered diversion

A man charged with graffiti damage to 31 buildings and property in downtown Invercargill has been offered diversion.

The man, aged in his 30s, appeared in the Invercargill District Court on September 19 facing nine charges of wilful or intentional damage to property.

A generic new charge was laid – that during the year to August 18 he had intentionally and without claim of right damaged 31 buildings and pieces of property in the central business district.

His lawyer, Keith Owen, said an offer of diversion was on the table and sought a remand to consider this.

Judge Bernadette Farnan​ remanded the man without plea until October 17 and continued name suppression, though she said there was no reason to suppress the charges faced.

​Diversion is a scheme operated by the police, intended to allow some, often first-time, offenders to take responsibility for their offending outside the court system and avoid getting a criminal record. It is typically targeted at reparation for the victim and rehabilitation for the offender.

The man’s bail conditions include a prohibition from leaving his home between 7pm and 7am, and he cannot possess any instruments capable of being used to commit the offence of graffiti or intentional damage.

Graffiti art signed Clap – and sometimes just the word Clap crudely sprayed – have become conspicuous around inner-city Invercargill.

In mid-August the Southland Business Chamber alerted its members that police wanted to hear from businesses that had Clap graffiti painted on their premises.

Chamber chief executive Sheree Carey said it was vandalism: business owners didn’t need the extra cost of getting rid of graffiti, she said.

Clap’s work has seen him described as a wannabe Banksy. The manager of one building said that “in fairness to him, some of his work around town is quite sweet . . .he just goes about it the wrong way.’’

Clap’s work is distinct from the street art murals that appeared during a South Sea Spray collective of some 20 artists who, with the consent of building owners and in co-operation with them, last December put murals around the city.

He has at times referred to Clap art in the plural – “we can’t talk to the media’’ – and has denied involvement in at least one piece of graffiti saying it “must be a fan’’.