A central Otago man arrested in relation to a duck-shooting incident that mildly injured two women has been remanded to appear in the Alexandra District Court next month.
The 26-year-old is charged with careless use of a firearm but did not appear before a judge in the court yesterday and was instead granted a registrar’s remand to appear on June 10.
He was also granted interim name suppression.
The man was arrested on Tuesday in relation to the incident, which left the two women with minor shotgun pellet injuries on May 2.
The incident occurred on the opening weekend of duck-shooting season, about 11am, when the women were walking on a track alongside the Clutha River near Alexandra.
The group of men were believed to be shooting from a boat in the river.
Police at the time said the men allegedly responsible spoke to the injured women when they realised what had happened and offered assistance but then left the scene in their boat.
Police were notified after the women arrived at Alexandra Medical Centre, where they were treated for minor pellet injuries to the shoulder and lower leg.
Subsequent pleas from police for the men to come forward or for anyone with information leading to tracking them down were unsuccessful.
On Friday, police released photos of two of the men which had been taken by the women at the time of the incident.
On Monday, police confirmed the photos had led people to make contact with tips about the alleged offenders.
Otago Fish & Game officer Bruce Quirey said the organisation would be following the case closely but was yet to decide if it would take any further action.
The rules to follow when hunting from a boat were clear, he said.
They included not shooting from a boat when it was under power at any time. Hunting from a moored or tethered boat or a drifting boat (excluding the Clutha River between May 1 and 9) was permitted.
