No plea by Hutt man accused of tunnel walk
A man accused of walking through New Zealand’s longest commuter train tunnel, sparking an emergency services callout and leading to delays to passenger trains, will keep his name secret for now.
The 30-year-old, from Upper Hutt, has been charged with having reckless disregard for his safety by interfering with a transport facility, behaving in a disorderly manner on a train and resisting police during his arrest, after the alleged incident last week at the Remutaka rail tunnel, north of Wellington.
He appeared at the Hutt Valley District Court yesterday but did not enter a plea. The man’s duty lawyer applied for interim name suppression on his behalf, which The Dominion Post opposed.
Judge Christopher Tuohy declined the name suppression application, saying public interest in the case was high and he was not convinced by the argument put forward that the man’s 6-year-old daughter would suffer mental harm if the defendant was identified.
However, the lawyer said she would appeal the decision. The defendant’s lawyer has 20 working days to lodge an appeal.
The judge said while that meant the man’s name was required to be suppressed, pending a further order, it seemed ‘‘ridiculous’’, considering the matter would be heard again in fewer than 20 working days.
The defendant will appear in court again in two weeks’ time. He was remanded on bail at his home.
The case came about after police were called to train tracks in Featherston about 5.30pm on April 27. The man was arrested as he exited the Upper Hutt side of the tunnel shortly after 9pm. The 6.18pm train on the Wairarapa line had to return to Upper Hutt.
At the time, KiwiRail spokesman Paul Ashton said the tunnel was closed for about 2 1⁄2 hours.
Ashton issued a warning to the public to stay out of the rail corridor. ‘‘If a train comes along, there are no footpaths and often nowhere to go.’’
Remutaka tunnel opened in 1955. At 8.93 kilometres long, it would take a person nearly two hours to walk its length at an average pace.