Stratford stand-off: Man appears in court charged with shooting at police

Sonny Temaire Edwards has been charged in relation to an armed stand-off in Taranaki last week. Photo / Tara Shaskey

A man accused of shooting at police while holed up in a house during a stand-off that lasted about 15 hours has appeared in court, where his mental health was considered.

Sonny Temaire Edwards faced charges of failing to stop for police, wilful damage, unlawful possession of a firearm, using a firearm against law enforcement, driving while suspended, breach of supervision and two charges of demands to steal, when he appeared in the Hāwera District Court on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old farmer from Whanganui is charged in relation to an incident that began about 10.30pm on March 27 in Taranaki.

Police allege he failed to pull over for officers, fired shots at police and then took off, before the Armed Offenders Squad and a dog unit tracked him to a home in Achilles St, Stratford, about 12.45am.

Cordons were in place while police negotiated with the man at the centre of the stand-off. Photo / Ilona Hanne

Over the course of the day, cordons were established and the police negotiation team worked to bring the stand-off to an end.

It is alleged Edwards fired further shots at police before he was taken into custody about 3pm. No one was injured during the incident.

In court, lawyer Nina Laird sought a psychiatric report for her client for the purpose of looking into his state of mind at the time of the alleged offending.

Edwards had been screened by a forensic mental health nurse, but Laird said information from that assessment conflicted “slightly” with the advice she had received from Edwards and his family.

Laird said she felt obligated to pursue the report, prepared by a forensic psychiatrist, on his behalf.

Edwards made his appearance in court via audio-visual link from Whanganui Prison, where he is being held in custody.

Laird said he was not in a position to enter pleas to the charges. She asked for the case to be remanded for four weeks.

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Judge Tony Greig ordered the mental health report and remanded Edwards back into custody until his next appearance, on May 2.

The judge said some of the charges Edwards faced were in relation to Palmerston North matters.

During last week’s stand-off, schools in the area went into lockdown, some residents were asked to leave their homes, and a part of State Highway 3 was closed.

Family and friends of the alleged offender gathered at the scene as it unfolded.

They had been communicating with the man and had also contacted Te Paati Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer for assistance in de-escalating the incident.