Stewart faces up to 50 new charges

Fugitive William Stewart, caught after 106 days on the run, faces up to 50 new charges when he reappears in court on Wednesday.

Stewart was finally caught at a farm near Mayfield, northwest of Ashburton, early on May 27 after evading capture since February.

Over that time, the 47-year-old loner attained folk-hero status akin to Ned Kelly, with a song penned in his name, dozens of "Where's Wally" T-shirts sold in his honour and several Facebook fan sites egging him on.

He was remanded in custody after a brief appearance in Christchurch on the day of his arrest on six charges previously laid.

They were dangerous driving, breach of prison release conditions, breach of parole, breach of bail, possession of cannabis and illegal possession of utensils.

Southern area commander Malcolm Johnson said at the weekend that the new charges, related to Stewart's time on the run, included burglaries and theft from vehicles - "about 40 to 50 charges", he told the Herald on Sunday.

Stewart is believed to have had help during that time, but Mr Johnson said police had no plans to charge anyone.

- NZPA