High-profile musician appears in Auckland court accused of family violence

A high-profile New Zealand musician has been arrested on nearly a dozen counts of family violence dating back to November 2022.

The Auckland resident appeared in Auckland District Court late this afternoon wearing a long black shirt and glasses. He had been in custody since yesterday but was remanded on bail today after lawyer Lynn Hughes entered not-guilty pleas on his behalf to 11 charges.

Community magistrate Fenella Thomas granted his bid for interim name suppression, citing the potential for reputational damage to him and those he works with. Police did not initially oppose the application.

The defendant was charged with two counts of threatening to kill, one of threatening grievous bodily harm and one of impeding breathing, all of which could carry sentences of up to seven years in jail if he is found guilty. He also pleaded not guilty to two counts of assault using common objects as weapons, punishable by up to five years’ imprisonment, and five counts of assault on a person in a family relationship, punishable by up to two years in prison.

The latest alleged incident occurred on Boxing Day in Queenstown and is said by police to have involved an assault using a water bottle as a weapon. Another alleged assault, in July, involved a slipper as a weapon, court documents state.

The Bail Act restricts reporting on what is said during bail hearings aside from the result and the conditions of bail imposed by the judge or magistrate. As a condition of his release on bail, the defendant was ordered to abide by a 7pm-7am curfew with the notable exception of nights when he is performing.

He elected a trial by jury and was ordered to return to court for his next appearance in May.

Craig Kapitan is an Auckland-based journalist covering courts and justice. He joined the Herald in 2021 and has reported on courts since 2002 in three newsrooms in the US and New Zealand.