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A judge has criticised the treatment of a man who was held in custody for nearly three weeks on minor charges, saying it seemed "totally improper".
Judge Tony Couch convicted and discharged Dale Wetere, 35, unemployed, in the Timaru District Court yesterday, telling him he intended to follow up his case.
Wetere had admitted threatening and abusing Rotorua Airport staff after missing his flight to the South Island on March 27.
He pleaded guilty in the Rotorua District Court the next day and had been in custody since.
Judge Couch told Wetere he deserved no further penalty, convicting and discharging him on charges of disorderly behaviour and resisting police.
Told he was too late to board his flight to Timaru, Wetere warned a woman staff member at the airport he would "do them over" if he missed the plane. He said he "knew their names".
Wetere became agitated when he learned he had missed the flight, the gate was closed and his aircraft was leaving.
After a tirade of abuse, the woman staff member felt threatened and retreated. Another staff member tried to help Wetere, but was also threatened and abused. She called police. Wetere also verbally abused a pilot and police, who had to handcuff him on the ground.
Rotorua Justices of the Peace remanded Wetere in custody for sentencing in Timaru, after they learned he had no accommodation in Rotorua and no money.
In court yesterday, Judge Couch said he was "totally at a loss to understand" why Wetere had been held in custody.
He was not facing any other charges and the charges he had pleaded to were only fineable offences.
- NZPA
