Man charged over rooftop stand-off

PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
The man who allegedly engaged police in an eight-hour rooftop stand-off appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday and will remain in custody.

Charged with unlawfully possessing a firearm, possessing an offensive weapon and unlawfully getting into a vehicle, the man was remanded in custody without plea to appear from prison on March 28, by video link.

On Friday, March 3, Junior Paul Pule (30) allegedly climbed barefoot on to the roof of a Neidpath Rd address, threatening to shoot police, sparking a negotiation that lasted through the night.

The scene was rife with emotion, with local residents leaving their homes and family members of the defendant present.

At times, things became chaotic, with some onlookers receiving warnings from heavily armed police after squabbling in the street.

One of the residents trapped inside the cordon was told of Pule’s alleged requests — a cheeseburger, cigarettes and his girlfriend.

Pule was finally apprehended just after midnight and has been in custody since.

Although the firearm the defendant was using in the stand-off was an imitation, police allegedly later located a .308 firearm, various knives, clubs and a hatchet in his vehicle.

 

 

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