A2

By Laura MacInnis

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The Crown called it a "bizarre situation".

A woman who went looking for help when arsonists were burning down the family vehicles destroyed the very camera the District 6 RCMP installed to catch the firebugs.

She couldn't say why she struck the camera with a hammer or put it in the washing machine, but she said her nerves were shot from the stress of constantly being attacked.

On Monday Geraldine Mullins of Napan, an elderly frail woman, appeared in Miramichi provincial court before Judge Denis Lordon and pled guilty to the charge of mischief for destroying one of four surveillance cameras hidden in her back yard.

Crown prosecutor Jack Walsh was bewildered by the crime.

He told the court Mullins' husband had gone to the police several times when his home was targeted by arsonists.

Two cars and a truck were burned to the ground and their patio furniture was reduced to cinders.

Even after continually seeking help from police and going to the newspaper to bring attention to the problem, nothing seemed to work.

"At one point he even came to our office looking for help because he was so distraught. I spoke to him and called the police for him," said Walsh.

The special eye section of the RCMP put cameras up in an attempt to catch the criminals.

But all it caught was Mullins abusing the RCMP equipment.

When officers returned to check on the video they found one camera tossed in the woods and "heavily damaged."

Upon recovering the memory card they were able to watch exactly what had taken place.

The Crown submitted photos taken from the video surveillance.

The first photos show Mullins leaving her back door and approaching the camera. Next she is in her basement with the camera and in several more pictures she can be seen striking it with a hammer — the video recording through the whole thing.

In the final pictures Mullins puts the camera in her washing machine — the camera's view is from inside the tub. And then the washing machine was turned on as the last shot is sudsy.

"You can see the photo is blurry, because it is being washed," said Walsh.

When questioned by the officers she said she was set up and it wasn't her in the picture.

She said her nerves were shot from everything she and her husband had been through.

"Her health can't be well to do something that bizarre," agreed Walsh.

The judge asked whether any had been caught on camera starting the fires or if the arson ceased immediately after the cameras went up.

Walsh spoke briefly with an officer and informed the judge nothing suspicious had appeared on the tapes, but they were not alleging Mullins had anything to do with the fires.

Duty counsel Melanie MacAuley spoke briefly, explaining that Mullins was not well. She is on disability and her monthly drug bills are between $700 and $800.

Mullins told the Miramichi Leader several months ago she suffered from Addison's disease as well as osteoporosis and bad nerves.

"I just lost it," she repeated when the judge directly asked her why she would do it. "I worked hard all my life and they burned my car."

Mullins husband got up and stood by his wife, telling the judge what he and his wife had been through.

"They destroyed our cars. They started a fire and then put a chair up against the back door," he said.

"So why destroy the camera?" Lordon threw his hands in the air.

"If you were sick and being tortured you'd do it too," she cried.

Lordon sentenced Mullins to 12 months probation during which she is ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $981.97 — the cost of the camera.

Mullins asked for "years" to pay back the money because she is unable to work.

"You're not getting it," said Lordon. "As far as I can see there is no excuse for what you did."

Although no one was caught for the arson, the RCMP took down the remaining cameras. Mullins told the court the couple has now put up their own cameras.