Nelson Mail

Billy TK will go to trial for anti-lockdown protest

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Conspiracy theorist Billy Te Kahika Jr, who denies breaching the Covid-19 Public Health Response Act after organising a protest on the first day of the August 2021 lockdown, will go to trial. Te Kahika was involved in an anti-lockdown protest outside the TVNZ building in central Auckland on August 18. The action came despite NewZealand being in alert level 4 following the emergence of a case of Covid-19 in the community. Te Kahika was arrested alongside YouTuber Vincent Eastwood and will nowface a judge-alone trial on August 23. Yesterday, lawyers for the pair appeared at the Auckland District Court in front of a registrar for a trial date to be set down. The pair were originally granted bail on strict conditions not to access the internet and to abide by a 24-hour curfew, but this has since been relaxed. Paul Borich, QC, acting for Te Kahika, successful­ly argued that his client should be allowed to deliver online religious sermons and messages. At Te Kahika’s first appearance, he told the judge he was ‘‘devastated’’ to see violence at the protest. The pair face a maximum of six months’ imprisonme­nt or a $4000 fine.

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