Bloody t-shirt seller runs into trouble

A Northland man's attempt to sell a blood-spattered T-shirt has been marred by hate mail and his barring from an online auction site.

However, Ben Nathan, of Whangarei, says he is putting the T-shirt back up for sale on eBay after removing references to the T-shirt's bloody nature.

Mr Nathan was wearing the shirt when he bashed the international yachting trophy the America's Cup with a sledgehammer on March 14, 1997, in Auckland.

His Maori sovereignty Tino Rangatiratanga T-shirt was spattered with blood from Mr Nathan's hand after he cut himself smashing through protective glass surrounding the cup.

He is trying to sell the shirt and other memorabilia from that day for about $1000, to raise funds for a life- coaching business.

However, the attempt has prompted hate mail and ran into trouble after eBay removed his sales spiel from its site.

E-Bay had explained in an email that it did not allow blood-stained goods to be sold.

Mr Nathan had also been trying to sell a blood-spattered piece of paper which featured a quote which had inspired him to go through with bashing the cup.

Mr Nathan said he would re-submit the items for sale without mention of the blood.

Mr Nathan was less concerned about the three anonymous hatemail letters -- one which said he should be rotting in jail for what he did -- and more worried about losing bidders for the T-shirt and memorabilia.

The bids had been going well, with 27 people showing interest and the bids exceeding his expectations, he said.

The memorabilia items included a United States coin from a taxi driver who took Mr Nathan to the bashing scene and a newspaper featuring a report of the incident.

Mr Nathan would have sold the sledgehammer -- but police destroyed it after his arrest.

Mr Nathan was jailed for three years after the attack but, apart from a recent conviction for breaching a protection order, he now says he is reformed.

He has tried to sell the items to set up a business -- Tihei Mauri Ora (Maori life coaching services) -- and wants the money to go toward helping at-risk youth, including former prisoners and the unemployed.

The internet idea is similar to a recent sale by another Northland man, former MP Ross Meurant, who led the controversial police Red Squad during the 1981 Springbok tour of New Zealand.

Mr Meurant recently sold an aluminium police baton from the 1981 tour to a South African buyer for more than $20,000 after listing it on the Trade Me website.

Mr Meurant's baton could arguably linked to violence, and was not that different to his T-shirt, Mr Nathan said.