David John says he was proud of slashing the tyres of cars parked in residential streets near Wellington Airport. He was jailed today for 22 months.

A tyre-slashing vigilante who took a screwdriver to more than 100 cars in a bid to stop people parking for free near Wellington Airport says he is proud of what he did.

"I had an effect when no-one else did," David Francis Johns told the psychologist charged with evaluating his state of mind for the court ahead of his sentencing on Wednesday.

His actions earned him a 22-month jail sentence.

FAIRFAX NZ David Francis Johns has been jailed for 22 months for damaging hundreds of tyres on vehicles parked near Wellington Airport.

Johns, 53, had earlier pleaded guilty to a representative charge of intentional damage to numerous car tyres, and of possession of an offensive weapon – a sharpened screwdriver.

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His actions were in response to parking pressures that have plagued the Wellington suburb of Miramar. Residents there have long complained about airport users treating their suburban streets like a free car park.

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

Some have hit back by placing illegal fences and concrete blocks outside their homes to prevent people from parking there and walking to the airport.

Wellington District Court judge Tim Black said on Wednesday that court reports revealed Johns' attitude to his offending.

"You told the psychologist you were proud of what you did."

FAIRFAX NZ Johns tries to conceal his appearance outside Wellington District Court prior to his court appearance in January.

Johns told the report writer it was the freeloaders he could not stand, and did not like his suburb being used as a car park.

Even when told that a number of the cars whose tyres he slashed did not belong to people using the airport, his response was that they should not have parked there if they knew there was a slasher about.

The judge jailed him for 22 months, saying he did not accept Johns felt any remorse given his comments.

He said Johns decided to step outside the law to achieve an objective.

"You decided you were above the law. Your actions were those of a vigilante and, in my view, a significantly aggravating feature of your offending."

He did not order reparation, saying Johns could not afford to pay it.

The judge had 51 victim impact statements, and Johns had accepted responsibility for slashing tyres on 101 vehicles.

In January police had been running a plainclothes operation in Miramar when they saw Johns, who had come out of Miro St, where he had already slashed the tyres of two cars.

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

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

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

But he disputed an earlier estimate from police that he had slashed more than 300 tyres, saying he thought it was more like 100.

He chose to slash tyres because of Wellington City Council's inaction over the car parking issue, he said.

Miramar Maupuia Progressive Association chairwoman Robin Boldarin said she could not see how a jail sentence was going to help Johns.

"I don't think it's going to achieve anything, and it will be at the cost of the taxpayer.

"I would rather see him made to do community work, because going to jail is not going to help that person. It will stay with him for the rest of his life.

"I hear that he did not apologise for his behaviour, so I don't know how you can help someone realise the damage they have done if they don't admit that. I feel sorry for his family.

"Since all the media attention, the problem has died down somewhat, and the council intend to put in a 24-hour limit for parking in the area around June sometime, but I'm not sure how they are going to monitor it all yet."

- Audio courtesy of Radio NZ