A man facing charges of assault and threatening to kill said he was performing a citizen’s arrest on someone trying to steal his dogs; the court told him to stop posting about it on Facebook.
Masterton man Vaughan Tocker appeared in Masterton District Court yesterday for a breach of bail conditions.
He is charged with threatening to kill or inflict grievous bodily harm with a firearm, assault, possessing a knife in a public place, and now for breaching bail by posting about the incident on social media.
Tocker said he had performed a citizen’s arrest on a man trying to steal and kill his dogs, having ‘charged’ him with theft of animals and cruelty to animals.
Judge Barbara Morris said while she sympathised with Tocker, she could not deal with those matters at yesterday’s hearing.
Judge Morris said that whatever happened, Tocker would need to work through the situation with his lawyer.
“In the meantime, don’t comment on this matter in a public manner on Facebook,” she said.
Judge Morris said she accepted Tocker was unaware that posting on Facebook breached his bail conditions.
Tocker is scheduled to be assessed by a doctor for past trauma before reappearing in Masterton District Court next Thursday.
