John Russell Black — known as "Little John" — appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday, where he took the unorthodox approach of representing himself.
Judge David Robinson stressed the 58-year-old could speak to a duty lawyer free of charge.
"I don’t think that’s necessary," Black said.
The defendant previously told Stuff he began living in a cave in Outram Glen "to escape all the evil that was going on".
He said he lived on food donations, did the odd cash job, spent less than $500 a year and tended to any dental issues himself using pliers and sandpaper.
Black’s do-it-yourself attitude was on display on November 1 when he set out from his rural home with an axe.
"I was going to Taieri Mouth to a fishing spot to use it to dig out an oven to cook the fish in," he told the court yesterday.
But first, he said, he was given a ride into town by a police officer so he could do a spot of shopping.
It was not survival gear he was after though.
Black, with the axe tucked under his arm, described first going to an electronics store and then on to Cash Converters to see if they had a Bluetooth amplifier.
He came up empty, so he began the long walk to Taieri Mouth before being stopped at Caversham and charged with possessing a weapon.
Judge Robinson accepted there was no "nefarious intent" behind the crime but said it was "disturbing" to hear about the previous day’s incident.
On that occasion, police found Black wandering in Hillside Rd, wielding a crossbow.
He was unable to give a reasonable excuse for having the weapon in public, but "seemed to think he needed it for birds" and for protection, Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond said.
Black was given a warning and referred to mental health services.
He told the court he found it "remarkable" he had contact with police twice within two days.
The court heard Black had convictions for assault, wilful damage and possessing a cannabis pipe, the most recent of which came nearly 20 years ago.
"I think a suspended sentence would be relevant to the situation," the self-represented defendant said.
And Judge Robinson agreed, imposing a deferred sentence of 12 months.
"You need to be a lot more discerning about the items you carry around," the judge said.
