Photo: NZ HeraldA Dunedin property manager used tenants’ rent payments to pay his meth bills, a court has heard. In January 2024, a family friend entrusted Strydom with the management of her rental property when she moved overseas. The defendant agreed to transfer rent payments into her account after deducting his fees and the arrangement went smoothly for the first couple of months. The victim and her partner had relied on the rent payments to pay the mortgage and now they were sceptical as to whether Strydom would pay them back. But the judge said unless Strydom learned to control his addiction he remained a threat to the community.

Source: Otago Daily Times March 14, 2026 04:34 UTC