It is understood he has been charged in relation to a series of posts on social media that made serious criminal allegations against a Wellington man, who the Herald is not naming for legal reasons.
The man’s employer described the posts as “defamatory”, “extremely damaging”, and “completely false” in correspondence to Bloxham seen by the Herald.
Graham Bloxhom dressed as a banana on the City to Sea bridge, Wellington, during his short-lived mayoral campaign. Photo / Marty Melville
In response to the man’s employer, Bloxham said the comments were not made by him, but rather a team of writers in Karachi, Pakistan, who he said work for Wellington Live.
Police today confirmed to the Herald a man aged in his 50s was arrested and charged under the Harmful Digital Communications Act yesterday.
He has been released on bail and will appear in the Wellington District Court next week.
In a press release, Bloxham said he would “fight this extreme censorship”.
Speaking to the Herald today, Bloxham said he was at home in his “man cave” yesterday when he saw three police officers arrive.
“They just came in and then arrested me immediately, and they were very kind gentlemen,” he said.
The 57-year-old said he has “never been more downhearted”.
Bloxham says he no longer owns the controversial Facebook page and associated sites, which have previously courted criticism for spreading misinformation. Instead, Bloxham describes himself as a contractor of Wellington Live. He says he has sold the page, although it has never been disclosed to whom.
Ethan Manera is a Wellington-based journalist covering Wellington issues, local politics and business in the capital. He can be emailed at ethan.manera@nzme.co.nz.