Roger Blake, alleged to have sold bleach as cure for Covid 19, has creative excuse for missing court

The chemicals used to make 'Miracle Mineral Solution' as allegedly sold by Ngatea man Roger Blake Photo / Dan Cook of RNZ

A man accused of selling bleach as a “cure” for cancer, HIV, and Covid-19 says he couldn’t attend his latest court appearance because the day was “culturally significant”.

Roger Blake, who calls himself a “living man, roger-william, house of blake”, has been fighting his criminal prosecution for more than three years and was due back in the Hamilton District Court where he and his company are facing multiple charges.

In November last year, the Court of Appeal threw out Blake’s appeal to halt his case, ruling “something exceptional is required to entertain such a challenge and, the judge reasoned, the same must also be true when a stay is sought pending such a challenge”, the decision said.

The judge believed Blake’s arguments “fell well short of that high threshold”.

The Ngatea man allegedly sold chlorine dioxide as a “Miracle Mineral Solution” (MMS) in 2020.

In July 2020 police searched two properties associated with Blake and NZ Water Purifier Ltd, a company of which he was the director, based in the Hauraki Plains after alleged breaches of the Medicines Act 1981, which prohibits the sale, distribution, and advertisement of new medicines without consent and possessing prescription medication “without reasonable excuse”.

Under this Act, which Medsafe administers, it is unlawful to make therapeutic claims about an unapproved medicine.

Charges were laid against Blake and NZ Water Purifier Ltd five months later.

Blake describes himself as a bishop of the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing.

The non-religious “church” originated in Florida and its sole function is to promote the use of MMS, a bleach formula marketed as a cure for Covid-19 with potentially deadly side effects.

Blake’s Ngatea property was searched just five days after a similar raid at a Florida property associated with Genesis II.

Four months later Blake launched a judicial review against police, Medsafe, the Thames District Court, and nine other people, claiming the warrants were unlawful “fishing expeditions”.

Despite his name and business being called in court yesterday, Blake didn’t appear, but Judge Brett Crowley said the court had been notified via email that he wouldn’t be there.

“He stated that today’s a culturally significant day so he can’t interrupt that to come to court,” Judge Crowley told prosecutor Paige Noorland.

Noorland noted Blake had been proven difficult to serve documents on as most recently the provider they used had been trespassed by him.

“We’re in a situation where the defendant refuses to engage,” she said.

“The provider’s trespassed from all his known addresses.

“He refuses service from prosecutors via email.”

Judge Crowley noted the proceedings had been going since 2020 and was keen to work out a way to move proceedings along.

After discussions, they booked in time for a two-hour hearing on June 7 in the hope at least some of the matters can be resolved.