A man accused of using an axe to smash the Murupara Police Station, sparking an armed police callout, has denied three charges. Mark Howard Christiansen, described in court documents as a 55-year-old retailer from Galatea, appeared in the Rotorua District Court on Friday. He pleaded not guilty to charges of burglary with a weapon, intentional damage and threatening grievous bodily harm. It’s alleged he went to the locked police station on Pine Dr during the day on March 26 and used an axe to break in. Judge Joanne Wickliffe noted his not-guilty pleas and remanded Christiansen in custody for a case review hearing on July 23. She also ordered a psychiatric report.
Posted: 06:35am Tue 13 May, 2025 | By Kelly Makiha (kelly.makiha@nzme.co.nz)
Police Station axe attack-accused denies charges
The front door of the Murupara Police Station following an alleged axe attack. Photo / Ben Fraser
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