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An Auckland man wrote to Helen Clark threatening to kill her because she was letting in too many Asians who were taking New Zealanders' jobs, according to documents before the Auckland District Court yesterday.
Police allege unemployed man Karl Andrew Fenn, 39, wrote to the Prime Minister last month demanding $100,000 be placed in his bank account, or she would be a "dead woman". He wrote a return address on the envelope.
Parliament secretaries passed the letter to police, who spoke to Fenn.
Fenn told police he wrote the letter because he was sick of living in substandard conditions caused by Clark letting in too many Asians, who were taking jobs off New Zealanders.
He said he needed the money for travel to Fiji.
Peter Noble, acting manager of the James Liston Hostel where Fenn has been living, told the Herald on Sunday the letter was "a storm in a teacup".
"If anyone was serious, he wouldn't put his return address on the envelope."
Noble said Fenn was under supervision from the Taylor Community Mental Health Centre and had previously had stints in drug and alcohol treatment centre, Odyssey House.
Noble believed the letter was "attention-seeking, more than anything else".
He said Fenn had "once or twice had a little bit of a problem with anger, but nothing serious", and was no threat to himself or others.
When police arrested Fenn from the hostel on Friday night, he was "very quiet, very subdued, not aggro".
Noble understood Fenn's parents had recently moved from Auckland to Australia, and were arranging for their son to join them.
The hostel frequently took people being treated at mental health centres. "There's very little follow up," says Noble. "Once they [the centres] drop them off it's out of their hands."
Fenn was remanded in custody until his next court session tomorrow.
