Court date set for phone hoaxer

A defended hearing for an alleged hoax caller has been set down for May 22 in the Whakatane District Court.

Kutarere man Robert Harold Moyer, 66, denies making the emergency call on New Year's Eve that sparked an armed offenders callout that cost $26,000.

Moyer is accused of calling 111 and claiming he had shot his wife and that her body was in the boot of his car.

As a result of the call, two police helicopters were deployed from Taupo and Tauranga, only to find that no violent acts had taken place.

Moyer's defence is one of mistaken identity.

- NZPA