A musician allegedly responsible for a suspicious package in central Dunedin has pleaded not guilty to a charge of threatening property.
Dene Barnes (43) - the man behind Dunedin band LSD Fundraiser - appeared before a registrar at the Dunedin District Court this morning and did not request name suppression.
He denied the charge which stated: “Without lawful excuse and without claim of right, knowing a letter to contain a threat to damage property, namely a building, office and house, secured the said letter to 318 Moray Pl and caused the said letter to be received by members of the public”.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment.
Police previously revealed they had spoken to a man connected to the music scene and the note attached to the building was in relation to that.
Much of the central city was evacuated and cordoned off for hours on June 16 as police assessed the threat.
The New Zealand Defence Force’s explosive ordnance disposal squad was flown by helicopter to the city and destroyed the package in a controlled explosion carried out by a remote-controlled robot shortly after 5pm.
Barnes will appear again in court in August.
