Kidnapping accused enters pleas

A man facing seven kidnapping charges and a charge of threatening to kill following a Rotorua bank incident has pleaded not guilty.

But the identity of the man must remain a secret, until at least April.

The man appeared in the Rotorua District Court yesterday via audiovisual link before Judge Melinda Broek.

His lawyer, Andy Schulze, said a Section 38 report, to check if a person is mentally fit to stand trial, had only been received on Wednesday.

Schulze hadn’t had time to go through it with the man and it was also premature to lift name suppression until the contents of the report had been “properly ventilated”, he said.

However, Schulze said to “kick things along” he would enter not guilty pleas on his client’s behalf to all charges while discussions were still being had with police.

Judge Broek remanded the man in custody with continued name suppression until a case review hearing on April 19 at 2.15pm.

The man was charged following an incident at the BNZ bank in Rotorua Central just after 4pm on Thursday, November 10, 2022 that saw several shops and businesses put into lockdown.

Saturday, February 4: Cantabria Craft Fair. 10am to 2pm. Cantabria Lifecare & Village Rotorua, 369 Old Taupo Rd, Springfield. Sausage sizzle, baking, raffle prizes, crafts, plants, a mystery musical guest and more. Free entry.

Sunday, February 5: Whitianga Summer Concert 2023. The Angels, Stone Temple Pilots, Pat Benetar and Neil Giraldo, and ZZ Top. At the Whitianga Waterways Arena from 11am.

Sunday, February 5: Lake Rotoma¯ Swim. 7am to 3pm. WJR3+FF Lake Rotoma¯ . Registration link at Lake Rotoma Swim Facebook page.

■ To have your event considered for the Summer Diary, please email details to whatson@dailypost.co.nz with SUMMER DIARY in the subject line.