Farmer threatens musterers after bank pulls plug on loan

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 340, 19 June 1990, Page 1

Farmer threatens musterers after bank pulls plug on loan

A 33 year old Pipiriki farmer was in court in Wanganui yesterday charged with threatening to kill after a series of incidents at his Pipiriki farm on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The armed offenders squad was called to the farm on Friday after the man threatened to kill musterers who had been called in to remove stock for the Rural Bank. No charges were laid at that stage and police took the farmer to Wanganui for discussions with a Rural Bank representative and the man's lawyer, with a police mediator. A number of firearms were confiscated from the farmer. Police said at that stage the man agreed not to interfere with the repossession of the several thousand head of stock from the farm which the man leases from its Maori Owners, but the man again threatened the musterers on his return. After further talks with police the man again promised not to interfere with the stock repossession. He later stole six of the musterers' dogs and cut up the stock yards on the 2500 acre farm with a chainsaw to prevent their use. He also again told police he would kill anyone who entered his property. He was then arrested and charged, and the dogs were later returned. Police said yesterday all the stock were to be removed by Tuesday morning and would be sold by the Bank at Wanganui on Tuesday.