Xenite.Org News

LOTR fan given slap on the wrist for stealing $200,000+ worth of property - Lord of the Rings news - J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings

July 26, 2000 at 14:15:55

More details concerning Blu James McLennan, the former LOTR movie security guard, have been published by The New Zealand Herald Online.

McLennan was sentenced to 50 hours of community service for stealing more than $200,000 (New Zealand dollars) in costumes and props for a shrine he intended to create and 50 hours of community service for stealing a wine barrel from the production company.

Clearly the New Zealand courts view wine barrels are priceless commodities -- or else perhaps so much money has been lavished on the New Zealand economy that the theft of more than $200,000 in property must seem like a student prank to the luxury-laden host country for Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings"?

McLennan, 46, is reportedly a diabetic who worked long hours on the production and didn't always take his insulin when required. His medical condition and the lack of financial motivation in the thefts may have been taken into consideration by the court, although the article makes no explanation of why the sentence seems so light.

Would American courts have issued a stiffer sentence?

Should the message sent out by this sentence be perceived as "It's okay to steal if you're a true fan and suffering from a medical condition"?

The LOTRmania spawned by Peter Jackson's three-film production may produce even more interesting (and perhaps bizarre) incidents in the future, but let us hope that none of them are truly harmful to anyone.