Covid 19 outbreak: Arrest warrant issued for alleged MIQ guest impersonator

A warrant has been issued for the arrest of a man who allegedly impersonated an MIQ guest for six nights, while the guest fled the hotel.

The man has been charged with pretending to be another man who was meant to be staying at Auckland's Jet Park Hotel, an MIQ facility, last November.

But while the impersonator enjoyed six nights of accommodation and food at the hotel, the real MIQ guest absconded.

Today the 30-year-old denied escaping from an Auckland MIQ facility while procuring another man to impersonate him for six nights.

He entered not guilty pleas to both charges via his legal representation at Manukau District Court this afternoon and elected a trial by jury.

He was remanded in custody until his next appearance date in May.

His impersonator was also scheduled to appear in court, but he did not turn up. He also failed to show up to an appearance scheduled last week.

A warrant for his arrest was issued this afternoon.

The man is facing charges of intentionally obstructing an authorised officer by impersonating a 30-year-old who was subject to a notice under section 70 at a MIQ facility.

He is further charged with obtaining six nights of accommodation and meals at Jet Park by deception and without claim of right.

Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) documents revealed 25 people successfully escaped from an MIQ facility, and another 27 tried to, in the past two years.

Buying cigarettes and going home to feed a cat were among the reasons for people's great escapes.

Fourteen of those incidents happened last October, the same month in which more than 150 complaints were laid about things such as food, cleanliness and exercise.

The data, obtained under the Official Information Act (OIA), shows October was the worst month for absconders and complaints since MIQ was established in 2020.