Pair who allegedly absconded from Auckland to Wellington granted interim name suppression

They have appeared in court today. Photo / 123rf

An Auckland duo accused of escaping to Wellington over the weekend have been granted interim name suppression but only one has been granted bail.

The 24-year-old woman and 41-year-old man were arrested on Saturday in Wellington after allegedly travelling from Auckland in breach of alert level restrictions.

The female alleged offender has been granted bail and the male has been remanded in custody until their next appearance on October 11.

They have been charged with failing to comply with a Covid-19 order, which holds a maximum penalty of six months in prison and a fine of $4000.

Both are also charged with failing to assist police in exercising their search powers and the man is charged with knowingly using a forged document.

That charge holds a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.

The pair appeared separately in front of Judge Peter Hobbes in Wellington District Court today via audio-visual link.

In another case, a high-profile Aucklander allegedly crossed the boundary and made onward travel to Queenstown.

A person who contacted the Otago Daily Times alleged this Aucklander was staying at a Queenstown Airbnb and had attended a gathering at the resort last weekend.

The tipster who wanted to remain anonymous said the Aucklander wasn't isolating and was spending time with two other Queenstown residents.

A police spokeswoman said they were aware of the complaint, and were following up with the person involved to determine if any breach of the Health Act has occurred.