Thanks – ‘Billy the Hunted One’
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Slippery fugitive William Stewart is styling himself “Billy the Hunted One” and appears to be enjoying his new-found notoriety.
A Teddington farmer, whose property was broken into by the 47-year-old, showed Stewart’s table-top calling card yesterday.
Stewart, who broke into the farm’s smoko room and helped himself to a meal the weekend before last, had carved his thanks into the dining table.
Stewart has been on the run since early February.
“Thanks guys, Billy the Hunted One,” he wrote.
He has five warrants for his arrest and is thought to have committed a string of burglaries and car thefts while on the run.
He has not been seen since he picked up hitchhikers in Hororata more than a week ago.
Police believed his latest crime was to swap a stolen car for a 2008 Hilux in Waddington, central Canterbury, on Tuesday.
“He helped himself to a nice meal of hot pies and coffee and wrote a thank-you note carved into the table.
The Teddington farmer, who declined to be named, said Stewart had been “sleeping rough” in the hills towards Gebbies Pass behind the property before he ventured down to the farm’s sheds.
“It was more that he had been watching and seeing where the keys were kept,” the farmer said.”
The fact that the door had not been forced but was opened using keys hidden on the property was unnerving.
The farmer said it was clear Stewart was “having a lot of fun and games”.
After carving his thanks, Stewart stole one of the farm motorbikes and blasted through a police cordon towards Governors Bay early on March 22.
However, police had called his antics “silly”.
However, police had called his antics “silly”. .
The Teddington farmer said Stewart, who had popped up in Tai Tapu the following day he evaded police in Governors Bay, obviously had some bushcraft skills as it was a long hike over the hills