Petrol station 'bomber' charged, could be sued

The man who caused a major disruption to the South Auckland town of Papakura by claiming he was carrying a bomb yesterday has been charged with disorderly behaviour but will face far more serious charges.

The 52-year-old is still in South Auckland's Middlemore Hospital under police guard but may appear at a special court sitting at his hospital bedside after he allegedly threatened to blow up the Shell Roselands service station in Great South Road yesterday morning.

He was apprehended after a five hours standoff after police lobbed tear gas into the room where he had holed up. He did not have any explosive devices.

Police said today that he had been charged with disorderly behaviour but would face far more serious charges which had yet to be finalised.

He could spend two or three days in hospital from physical injuries he received when he was apprehended.

Police were expected to seek a two-week remand in custody to consider the new charges and have the man undergo a psychiatric assessment.

Some businesses are already talking of a civil action against the man to recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost business after police ordered scores of homes and offices to be evacuated.

Power was also turned off to some of the area during the emergency.

Businesses that closed included a large Woolworths supermarket, The Farmers store, The Warehouse, Dick Smith Electronics and many smaller businesses in the heart of Papakura on Great South Road.

The man could also face reparation request from emergency services although he was not thought to have any money.

"We need to try and put something before the courts to show the significance of the economical affect it has had," Senior Sergeant Albie Alexander said.

"The ramifications to this are far greater than just some idiot holed up in a service station threatening to blow things up."

He said most people were angry over the incident but did not direct their anger at police or other emergency workers.

"That was great because we were all hot and bothered ourselves."

Scores of police, including the armed offenders squad, firefighters from 10 fire appliances, ambulance officers and army bomb experts were sent to the emergency. The army also brought a new bomb disposal robot worth $250,000.

- NZPA