Man arrested in terror raids given bail

An Auckland man arrested in last week's so-called terror raids has been granted bail.

Rongomai Pero Pero Bailey, 28, unemployed, of Grey Lynn, Auckland, who, was charged with four firearms offences, had his application for bail granted at Auckland District Court today.

Bailey applied for bail on grounds that evidence presented by police did not justify arms charges he faced.

Defence lawyer Mary Kennedy told the court Bailey would be in grave danger if he was sent back to jail.

She said his co-defendant Jaime Lockett had received injuries while on remand in Mt Eden Prison.

Bailey's bail conditions included surrendering his passport but he doesn't have one; not to contact his co-defendants or Crown witnesses and not to come within 30 kilometres of Ruatoki.

He was ordered to reappear in court on November 1.

His sister, Lucy Bailey, said outside court that her brother had never showed any interest in firearms.

"He's always expressed an interest in peace and peaceful means to help people," she said.

"My brother is a young man who has great integrity and he has always been a very generous person and he looks after everyone around him."

Ms Bailey said her brother was interested in social justice but she was not aware of him being involved with activist groups.

She said her main interest was seeing him after being unable to do so since his arrest.

"I am just really thinking about my brother and seeing him. That's really what my focus is: getting to see him and find out how he's actually been doing and get him some clean clothes."

Other people supporting Bailey in court today included his partner Sassy and John Minto, a peace campaigner best known for his part in the 1981 anti-Springbok tour protests.

Bailey said he'd been advised not to comment on the charges he faced but said his eight days in prison had been "pretty eye-opening".

"It's made me value my freedoms I guess, and understand what happens when they get taken away."

Bailey was arrested last Monday under the Firearms Act and the Terrorism Suppression Act following police raids in Auckland, Wellington, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Christchurch, Whakatane and Ruatoki, 20km south of Whakatane.

The raids were the culmination of a year-long investigation into weapons training camps alleged to have been held in the Urewera country and netted a haul of weapons.

Prosecutor Ross Burns said police had reason to believe Bailey had attended the alleged military-style training camps near Ruatoki three times in the past year and that there was a chance he would follow through with violence should he be released on bail.

He also argued that Bailey could face charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act.

But Bailey's lawyer Mary Kennedy said her client had no previous convictions and the evidence against him was limited.

She said new bail regulations meant there had to be a significant risk of Bailey reoffending or of him interfering with witnesses or evidence, which she argued did not apply in his case.

Ms Kennedy also said there was up to 18 months to any trial and that to keep him in custody that long was unjust.

She also said Bailey was in danger in prison, saying he had witnessed his cellmate having his nose broken by another prisoner.

Judge Bouchier said the charges Bailey faced were serious but that there was little evidence he posed a significant risk or that he was likely to interfere with witnesses or evidence.

She said the fact that Bailey could face charges under the Terrorism Suppression Act, for which approval is needed from the Solicitor-General, would have been important only if he had previous convictions and posed a significant risk.

Sixteen others arrested in last week's raids remain in custody, including veteran Tuhoe campaigner Tame Iti.

- With NZPA