Yes I remember the Kaikoura one. They forbade any take and they were just left there clinging to the rocks. My guess is they come across enough market ready black market paua they would have access to stocks of minced paua after they had been thru the court process. What better way to use the evidence after one conviction, than to secure a second?
But money/fines don't stop the likes of D'Esposito. He was convicted for a similar amount a decade ago. What was he doing for the intervening decade before the last big fine? And while he was in the court process for the last fine, he was still dealing in illegal paua. Lock the p...k up. He sold the business to Iwi for over $20M I think. What value is a fine? Paid for from ill gotten money.
He got off jail time last time by pleading guilty to a heap of charges (50-100 I think), in exchange for no jail time, and dropping of another 100 charges. I guess there is only so much a Judge can sentence him for over 500Kg of Paua, but he should get the maximum, and hopefully it includes incarceration. I don't care if the jails are full. Double bunk him with a serial sex offender.
Alan