Northland duo want $300,000 from court they don't recognise

Karla White and Chris Ferri's conviction for disorderly behaviour outside the Paihia police station stands. Photo/John Stone

Two Northlanders who do not recognise the laws of New Zealand want the judiciary to pay them $300,000 for their conviction and sentence for disorderly behaviour.

However, they lost their latest appeal against conviction, and their claim for the money.

Karla White and Chris Matthew Ferri were found guilty of disorderly behaviour following a judge-alone trial in the Kaikohe District Court in March 2017 while the latter was convicted of an additional charge of wilful damage.

Both were involved in a prolonged incident outside the Paihia police station in the early hours of Christmas Day 2015 when they shouted at officers inside the building and woke a number of people in homes nearby.

The catalyst for their behaviour was the arrest of a man who was in a relationship with White's daughter. The man was arrested for allegedly breaching a liquor ban and was taken to the Paihia police station.

Ferri and White were alerted to the events and arrived at the police station. Ferri kicked the front door of the police station and broke the glass panes.

He was sentenced to 80 hours community work and ordered to pay reparation of $522. White was ordered to perform 40 hours of community work.

Both appealed in the High Court which dismissed an appeal against conviction but reduced Ferri's community work to 40 hours while Ferri's community work was replaced with a fine of $250.

They then filed another appeal in the same court against conviction but, this time challenging the jurisdiction of New Zealand courts to determine their case.

"The New Zealand Government and its judicial system are enforcing its sovereignty through physical revolution transferred at the point of a gun, whereby the sovereignty of the people of New Zealand has been usurped by Parliament and the courts.

"The conviction and sentence should be quashed, with an apology including costs of $300,000 @ $100,000 per year, from the period of 25 December 2015 till conclusion of this matter 2018," they submitted.

Justice Mark Woolford said it was well settled that arguments challenging the general law-making authority of Parliament could not succeed. Litigants were not entitled to put themselves outside of the law of the country, he said.

The judge said there was neither a matter of general or public importance nor an indication of a miscarriage of justice in the second appeal.