Church gunman sent 'alarming' emails

Police clear their weapons as children walk past the scene of the armed call-out in St Heliers yesterday. Photo / Glenn Jeffrey

A man who allegedly held a gun and knife at staff of an east Auckland church while children played in a nearby daycare centre had sent two angry emails to the church before the incident.

Reverend Pauline Stewart of St Heliers Presbyterian Church said the man had sent the "alarming" emails yesterday morning, but she had not been able to get to see him.

The man sparked an Armed Offenders Squad call-out when he appeared at the church brandishing the weapons, about 2pm.

Rev Stewart said though the man's actions appeared to be "a cry for help", the fact the church ran a child-care centre meant the situation "could have gone ugly".

Staff at the preschool, which is on the same grounds as the church, locked the gate, kept the 40 children entertained and pulled the curtains so they did not know what was happening.

Parents who were due to collect their children were held back by police cordons.

At the same time, another 40 children from nearby St Heliers and Churchill Park Primary Schools were making their way to the church for an after-school care programme.

Yesterday was the programme's 16th birthday and the children, aged five to 11, had a celebration once the drama had worn off, Rev Stewart said.

Church staff had attempted to talk with the man, but he left the grounds and was found at his Glendowie home about 3pm. He was last night in custody.

Rev Stewart, who was last night comforting the man's wife, said she wished she could have done more to help the man before he turned up at the church.

"I blame myself really, because I had got an unfortunate email message but I didn't take it as seriously as I should have," she said.

It was not unusual for parishioners to contact her for help, but Rev Stewart admitted the two emails she had received yesterday morning and on Thursday night were unusual.

"I just thought he might have been a lot under-the-weather when he wrote it," she said.

The man's wife said her husband was "extremely unwell, and extremely vulnerable".

"He is just going through some very difficult things in his personal life ... I guess it was the only way of reaching out for help."

The woman said she and her husband, originally from South Africa, had been living in New Zealand "a long time", and he was currently working in the "financial sector".

She is expecting to give police a statement today.