Volunteer firefighter accused of sparking bomb threats

Bradley Taylor of Hamilton picture supplied via facebook https://www.facebook.com/bradley.taylor.9822924

A man accused of sparking four bomb threats after placing suspicious packages in two Hamilton parks is a volunteer firefighter.

Name suppression of Bradley David Taylor, 27, was lifted by Judge David Wilson in the Hamilton District Court today.

He faces four charges of threatening harm to people and property from four separate incidents in June.

Three packages were placed in Gower Park while a fourth was left in Melville Park.

The bomb hoaxes resulted in the NZ Defence Force bomb squad being sent to the city on four separate occasions, causing a large amount of disruption to the south end of the city, in and around Bader and Melville, which is also near Waikato Hospital.

At the time, Taylor also worked for Hamilton City Council as groundsman for the park.

In his decision lifting suppression, Judge Wilson said there was no real risk of any prejudice in his name being released.

He was remanded on bail to reappear next month.

Taylor was a volunteer firefighter with the Ngaruawahia Fire Brigade.

Waikato fire service assistant area commander Darryl Papesch couldn't comment about the case, but said it was disappointing that one of their own had been charged and it tarred the hard work volunteers did around the country.

Hamilton City Council general manager community, Lance Vervoort, confirmed Taylor was a council employee.

"He has been with the organisation for two and half years. Due to the legal aspects of this matter we will be making no further comment while this progresses through court".

Bradley Taylor of Hamilton picture supplied via facebook https://www.facebook.com/bradley.taylor.9822924

While Taylor was seen watching at least one of the alleged hoax bombing incidents unfold, neither he or his mother - in court to support him along with his partner - were keen for media to take photographs of him outside court, after she pushed a photographer out of the way to enable Taylor to flee down the street with his hood pulled over his head.

In court, Taylor's lawyer Kerry Burroughs tried to keep his client's name suppressed but as he claimed it would impact his case as the jury would create a biased view from reports of the alleged offending in the media.

Taylor is yet to enter a plea on the charges but Mr Burroughs assured Judge Wilson they would be confirmed at his next appearance as he was still waiting for some disclosure from police.

Bruce Holloway, chairman of Melville United AFC, the football club based at Gower Park for the past 35 years, remarked how there was "peculiar timing" around the incidents as the park was one of the training venues for some teams involved in the FIFA U-20 World Cup.

"Had the bomb hoaxes occurred two weeks earlier, it would have been far more explosive and quite likely the subject of worldwide attention, given Gower Park was one of the training venues for the FIFA U-20 World Cup, with the likes of Qatar, Portugal, Senegal and Colombia training there."