That's the only way to describe Auckland property developers John Lenihan and Jane Greensmith, who this morning had their henchmen attack and ringbark the 500 year old Titirangi kauri. But this wasn't just an act of spiteful environmental vandalism - it was also done deliberately to subvert a High Court judicial review scheduled to be heard this afternoon, to make it pointless by establishing facts on the ground. And that's something the court should take very seriously.
Something else they might want to consider: criminal nuisance charges against those responsible. Because taking a chainsaw to a tree when there's someone in it clearly endangers their life and safety regardless of whether the ultimate intention is to cut the tree down or not. And people need to be held criminally accountable for that.
Finally, I hope anybody thinking of doing business with these scumbags keeps in mind their established pattern of malice, deceit, and lawlessness. These are simply not people you can trust. They should be treated accordingly.