Help and hope for squatter, court told
“Uncle” will have to do 40 hours of community work for his repeated squatting in abandoned buildings, but there was a glimmer of hope at his Christchurch District Court appearance today.
Defence counsel Louise Denton will take up the 49-year-old homeless man’s case to try to get help organised for him.
Henare McLean, listed as having “no fixed abode, central Christchurch”, and known to his friends as Uncle, pleaded guilty to two charges of being found without reasonable excuse in abandoned buildings in Stanmore Road and Worcester Street.
Ms Denton told Judge David Ongley that McLean had moved to Christchurch to work as a builder – a job he had been doing in Auckland for nine-and-a-half years.
“That fell through for him and he has been living on the streets,” she said. He could not stay at the City Mission because he had a dog and he could not get a benefit because he had no address.
After his court appearance, she would remain involved to try to facilitate help for him, she said.
Judge Ongley noted a similar conviction in April when Henare had been ordered to come up if called upon. He said that sentencing would not be activated, but he ordered Henare to do 40 hours of community work.
McLean’s situation has been publicised recently about concerns that homeless were being arrested for sleeping in abandoned buildings and breaching non-association orders. Charity workers were concerned that they were breaching orders when they turned up together for free meals.
Two other people were also listed for appearances at court today after being charged with being found without reasonable excuse in buildings.
Bradley John Edgeworth, 26, of no fixed abode, was charged with being found in a building in Worcester Street on Sunday, and with receiving a stolen credit card. He was granted a registrar’s remand to get legal advice and remanded to October 9 on bail.
Huia Darnell Hohepa, 18, whose address is given as a Salvation Army hostel in Addington, was charged with being in buildings in Stanmore Road on Saturday, and Barbadoes Street on September 10. She did not attend court and an arrest warrant was issued.
Category: Focus
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