A Rotorua man, 27, will appear in the Hawera District Court today after a woman was held hostage and severely beaten in Stratford, near New Plymouth on Sunday evening.
The woman needed hospital treatment after being held captive for up to four hours in a cabin at a local camp ground.
She was able to escape and alert neighbours.
The offender had left by the time police arrived.
The Taranaki Daily News reported a suspect was found an hour later and was then involved in two high-speed chases, one causing damage to a police car, before crashing his car.
An investigation into the police pursuit is under way.
- NZPA
Man in court after woman held hostage
File photo / Greg Bowker
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