Miramar tyre slasher David Francis Johns now wants out of jail.

Miramar resident David Johns was so angry about lack of action to solve parking problems near Wellington Airport that he went out at night to slash tyres.

On January 24, he made the mistake of going out during the day, and was followed by plainclothes police while he used a sharpened screwdriver to stab several tyres.

David Francis Johns, 52, pleaded guilty on Monday to a representative charge of intentional damage to numerous car tyres, and one of possessing an offensive weapon – the sharpened screwdriver.

FAIRFAX NZ This van parked near the airport in Miro St, Miramar, had three tyres let down or punctured.

Wellington District Court heard that Miramar residents were annoyed about airport users parking for free in the area, often for long periods.

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* Freeloading parkers

Police had been running a plainclothes operation in the southern suburb when they saw Johns, who had come out of Miro St, where he had already slashed the tyres of two cars.

FAIRFAX NZ Johns tries to conceal his appearance outside Wellington District Court.

He turned into Broadway, then into Kauri St, where he targeted the tyres of more vehicles before police stopped him, finding a sharpened screwdriver in a pocket and another in his car.

Police prosecutor Alice Handcock told Judge Bill Hastings it was estimated that, over time, Johns had slashed more than 300 tyres.

Johns told police he went out mainly at night, and was trying to target commercial and industrial vehicles, but knew he had got local residents' cars too.

He said he had been doing it for six months, and knew he was not the only one.

However, he disputed the police estimate of numbers, saying he thought it was more like 100 cars.

Johns said it had been because of Wellington City Council's inaction over car parking in the area.

Defence lawyer Peter McKenzie-Bridle said that, for Johns, the parking issue was a significant community problem, and council inaction was leaving residents exasperated.

He regretted doing it, but got himself into a cycle of going out and felt he was making an impact, with some of the parking problem alleviated.

McKenzie-Bridle said Johns became increasingly concerned about the safety of Miramar roads and parking after the death of cyclist Alan Cecil Robieson in 2013, when he hit a low wire fence erected by a resident on a grass berm.

The court was told Johns had no money to pay reparation.

The judge remanded him on bail until April for sentencing, and ordering a screening report to look at psychiatric issues.

As part of the bail conditions, he ordered Johns not to go to the streets where he had been found offending.

"A lot of people get frustrated but don't go around, almost as though it's vigilante action, taking retribution on the car that may or may not be part of the problem he is trying to solve," the judge said.

Robin Boldarin, chairwoman of the Miramar Maupuia Progressive Association, said it was a relief the slasher's identity was now known.

"There has always been speculation ... who could it be, but now we all know ... I feel sorry for anyone related to him really," she said.

"As a punishment perhaps he could be made to mow our berms."

"There is relief the potential for danger of people driving away in a car with slashed tyres has gone, but it's a shame it had to come to this in the first place.

It was a shame the parking pressures in Miramar had reached a point where Johns felt the need to slash tyres.

"It has actually been quite effective in getting the problem to stop, sometimes you need a negative to get a positive I suppose," she said.

"The freeloaders were a problem, but when you see car rental firms using it to park, seeing the same cars lined up all in a row, added to the pleasure we don't feel.

"I hope the council remedies the situation sooner rather than later. That would be marvellous."

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean said Miramar residents would be receiving a letter in the coming week, outlining a proposal the council hopes will fix the problem.