KEY POINTS:
A man charged in relation to the theft of belongings from an Auckland hotel room appeared in court yesterday dressed in hospital pyjamas, as it emerged he shares the same name as the family at the centre of the ordeal.
Peter Malcolm Black, an unemployed 42-year-old man of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody by consent after a brief appearance in the Auckland District Court.
Black is charged with illegally entering Quay West with the intent of committing a crime and incurring an alcohol and food debt of $81.
More charges are expected.
He appeared in the dock yesterday wearing hospital pyjamas and with his arm in a sling. He stood with his back to the public gallery and only briefly looked up as the judge spoke to him.
His lawyer, Tony Bouchier, opposed media applications to photograph his client, arguing that Black was entitled to his dignity.
To photograph him standing in his hospital pyjamas would be sheer voyeurism, he said.
But Judge Lex De Jong allowed media to photograph and film Black, saying there was a high degree of public interest in the case.
Mr Bouchier said Black had told him he had been "badly beaten".
"He's conscious there are people inside who have a vendetta against him."
Police said Black was arrested late yesterday morning after being discharged from Middlemore Hospital. He underwent surgery on his hand on Tuesday after receiving hand injuries at the weekend.
A Canadian family, also with the surname Black, lost thousands of dollars of property after a man allegedly tricked staff into letting him into their room.
Most of their possessions are still missing and the family told the Herald they did not expect to see themagain. They returned to Canada yesterday.
