A young Christchurch man's dad tearfully cried out that he loved him in court– after his son was accused of torching two churches and trying to burn a third.
The Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses in Burwood was razed to the ground in the early hours of Monday morning.
There were also smaller fires at the Christchurch Transitional Cathedral and New Brighton's Beach Café, and reports of an attempted arson at a church in Kaiapoi.
A 21-year-old man - who's been granted name suppression - has had his first appearance in the Christchurch District Court.
