A Hokitika man who has been on a hunger strike protesting his incarceration after he was arrested during a manhunt in South Westland earlier this month, has been remanded to Grey Base Hospital.
John Borrie Alexander, 49, had been on the run since March after failing to appear in courton charges of cultivating cannabis and possessing the drug for supply.
Police knew he had been living in the Lake Hawea area and had twice made pleas to the public for information on his whereabouts.
On June 1, he allegedly led Wanaka police on a 192km high-speed chase to Lake Paringa, where he abandoned his vehicle and ran into the bush. He was located by a police dog that accompanied the West Coast armed offenders squad in its search for him.
At his next appearance, Alexander faced new charges of driving dangerously, possessing cannabis, possessing cannabis oil, unlawfully possessing a claw hammer as an offensive weapon, unlawfully possessing .22 bullets and breaching bail.
At his June 5 court appearance, Alexander refused to allow any of the available lawyers to represent him, calling them "muppets".
In Greymouth District Court on Friday he was represented by Doug Taffs, who said Alexander went on the run in March because he was convinced that he would be forced to represent himself and would not get a fair hearing in court.
He had recently gone on a hunger strike to protest his remand in custody.
Judge Raoul Neave remanded Alexander on bail until August 31, allowing him to recuperate at Grey Base Hospital until he could provide a bail address.
