Judge Tom Gilbert said using the tool undermined the apology’s sentiments
Christchurch District Court judge Tom Gilbert has flagged an arsonist’s use of AI in letters apologising for setting a rental property on fire and attacking first responders, reported the NZ Herald.
Michae Ngaire Win had appeared before the court for her sentencing on the grounds of arson, burglary, common assault and resisting police. Her lawyer, Cindy Lee, had told the court about Win’s apology letters.
Gilbert clocked AI’s role in penning the letters after he ran them through ChatGPT software for an authenticity check. Win confirmed Gilbert’s discovery, and Lee submitted that defendants who struggled to word apology letters well turned to sources like AI for assistance.
However, Gilbert said in a statement published by the Herald that using AI in such as a case “undermines the sentiments” of Win’s apology, although he added that he did not think poorly of Win and acknowledged AI as “a good tool”.
“Not all of us are as good with words as others”, he said, noting that using AI did not mean Win lacked remorse for her actions.
However, Crown prosecutor Jade Lancaster flagged AI-generated apologies as a future problem.
In June 2024, Win set a four-bedroom house she was renting in Christchurch ablaze and escaped from the property with a bag of cannabis and a pair of trousers. In October of that year, she stole registration plates from a vehicle in a mechanic’s workshop in Murchison and affixed them to her own vehicle.
She told motorists she had been assaulted, but after police and Hato Hone St John staff tried to assist her, she refused and attacked officers who were attempting to arrest her. In January 2025, an active warrant was out for her arrest when she returned to Christchurch.
After being brought to the Christchurch Police Station, Win bit an officer’s arm and reportedly claimed she had AIDS, causing distress to the officer.
Lee had sought a sentence of home detention plus an order of reparation. Gilbert indicated that the cost of replacing the property would be at least $500,000, noting that the house was destroyed and underinsured.
“The demolition cost alone was $29,000, which was not covered. While the property was destroyed, there was an active mortgage, there was nothing to offset the cost. Between the insurance company and victims, they will have to pay $29,000 and rebuild which will likely be in excess of $500,000”, Gilbert said in a statement published by the Herald.
A police prosecutor who handled the police charges said that after Win entered guilty pleas in March 2025, she had not saved money for reparations despite an offer to do so. Lee claimed that with Win having gone off drugs, she possessed clarity of mind and was remorseful for her actions despite her lack of finances.
Nonetheless, Gilbert said Win’s mental health had little bearing on her sentence.
“You don’t have a major mental illness; you have been using illicit drugs over a long period. You were experiencing acute deterioration of mental health; life was at a low ebb for you, and I accept that there was substance abuse and some other stressors”, he said in a statement published by the Herald.
In laying down Win’s sentence, Gilbert started with a prison term of three years and nine months. He then took 15% off for guilty pleas, 20% off for background and mental health, and 5% off for remorse. Ultimately, Win was sentenced to 27 months in jail and ordered to pay reparations amounting to $3,000.
