No bail for threat to kill ‘non-Muslims’
An Auckland man charged with threatening to kill ‘‘nonMuslims’’ has been declined bail and will remain in custody until a future court date.
The 20-year-old, who has interim name suppression, was charged in September days after the LynnMall terror attack.
He is also facing two charges of distributing objectionable publications and possessing objectionable material between August and September, last year.
He appeared at Auckland District Court on Friday by audiovisual link from Paremoremo, New Zealand’s maximumsecurity prison, in front of Judge Claire Ryan.
His lawyer Peter Syddall applied for electronically monitored bail, which was opposed by Crown prosecutor Henry Steele.
Judge Ryan declined bail. The reasons and arguments are suppressed under the Bail Act.
At an earlier hearing, Syddall said his client had complex conditions and he was awaiting specialist reports.
Syddall said name suppression was needed to ensure his client had the best chance of de-radicalising.
He said his client was not a member of the Muslim community, but it was hoped that he would be helped by leaders of the Muslim community.
‘‘He is not in the same boat as Mr Samsudeen, the LynnMall attacker,’’ Syddall said.
‘‘We have a chance here. We need to do everything we can . . . If his name is made public that chance will be lost.’’
Crown prosecutor David Johnstone previously said police supported the continuation of name suppression.
‘‘The offending is borne of [the accused’s] social isolation and in relation to the cognitive difficulties he appears to face as a young and troubled man,’’ Johnstone said.
‘‘The prospect of being named may further send him down, in what he regards as a black hole, to which the only exit is violence.’’
Johnstone said that naming the accused could endanger the safety of the community – but the police may change their stance on name suppression if the man was to be released from custody.
A man died at Auckland’s popular Piha beach after getting into trouble in the water.
On Monday, a police spokesperson said they were responding to a report, received at 8.15am, that a person had got into difficulty in the water off Marine Parade.
‘‘Sadly the man died at the scene,’’ the spokesperson said.
A witness said a rescue helicopter was at the beach, and several people were standing outside the Piha Surf Life Saving Club.
‘‘I saw lifesavers coming in from the water with their inflatable rescue boat [IRB], when I arrived. I saw a person was covered up and police were interviewing witnesses by the surf club.’’
Surf Lifesaving New Zealand spokesman Daniel Short said the man had been wearing a lifejacket and was found near the rocks at Piha.
‘‘Our on-call lifesavers managed to pick him up and bring him to shore where they attempted CPR, but he died at the scene.’’
Short said there had been ‘‘reasonably’’ sized surf at the time, and surging waves, but the conditions weren’t unusual for the West Coast.
‘‘It was a medium tide, with waves of about 2 metres. In this case he was wearing a floatation device, but we do remind people to have a plan in place while at the beach in case things go wrong.
‘‘Choose a lifeguarded beach and plan for the conditions.’’
Piha can be dangerous when the surf is running high.
High tide at Piha was just after 5am on Monday, with low tide just before 11.30am.
The police spokesperson said police inquiries would be made in relation to the death on behalf of the coroner, who would release a finding on the death in future.