Bay of Plenty’s Richard Sivell faces trial for alleged Jacinda Ardern death threat

Richard Sivell is accused of threatening to kill former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / NZME

A Western Bay of Plenty man accused of threatening to kill former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern told a judge he had “no blood on my hands”.

Richard Trevor Sivell, 41, from Te Ranga was rearrested in Taupō almost two years after a warrant was issued in Tauranga.

He will face trial on four charges after appearances in the Tauranga District Court, most recently on Wednesday.

Court documents show Sivell is accused of threatening to kill Ardern in Auckland between November 29, 2021, and January 19, 2022, when she was still Prime Minister. The charge carried a maximum penalty of seven years in prison.

Sivell also faced two charges relating to his prior arrest on March 29, 2022 – intentionally obstructing a police officer and failing to assist the officer during a search.

The fourth charge relates to Sivell’s alleged failure to answer district court bail on April 26, 2022.

Police confirmed to the Bay of Plenty Times Sivell was rearrested in Taupō on or around January 10 — 20 months and 15 days after a district court judge signed a warrant for his arrest.

Former Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Sivell represented himself at a court judicial intervention hearing on May 1.

He told Judge David Cameron he wanted to make it clear he had “…no blood on his hands” and “came into the court with clean hands”.

Police sought a judge-alone trial despite Sivell not entering pleas to his charges.

Judge Cameron told Sivell that not-guilty pleas were “deemed” to be entered and the matter now had to proceed to trial.

Sergeant Tina Smallman informed Judge Cameron six prosecution witnesses would be called to give evidence at the trial expected to take half a day.

Following that hearing, Judge Cameron imposed interim suppression orders preventing the publication of Sivell’s name and charges.

Yesterday, Judge Paul Geoghegan lifted the suppression orders and remanded Sivell on bail to reappear in court on October 2 for his judge-alone trial.

Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 24 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.