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A man allegedly at the centre of a dramatic armed stand-off that brought central Dunedin to a halt yesterday has been remanded in custody until Friday.
In Dunedin District Court today, the 19-year-old unemployed man, who was granted interim name suppression, faced four charges arising from the six-hour standoff.
He made no plea to charges of being unlawfully in a building, making a false statement to police, possessing an offensive weapon, and unlawfully possessing a firearm.
Lawyer Helgi Henderson made no application for bail, but sought interim name suppression for the man, who was reported earlier to have a history of mental illness.
Judge Stephen O'Driscoll remanded the man in custody by consent until Friday.
The drama began yesterday about 8am when the man allegedly called police saying he was on the top floor of the old Post Office building in Princes St and threatened to blow himself up with a flare gun.
A team of four negotiators spent six hours reasoning with the man on a cellphone, before he was arrested about 2pm when he stepped onto a balcony leaving the weapons behind.
Members of the police armed offenders squad secured the weapons and talked the man into giving himself up.
- NZPA
