Anti-royalist Sam Bracanov was arrested during a royal visit (AAP)
A
77-year-old anti-royalist who planned to throw "shit" at Prince Charles
and the Duchess of Cornwall while they were on their royal visit in
Auckland last year says he only wanted to "give them what they deserve".
Pensioner Catislav "Sam" Bracanov denied planning to
commit a crime, appearing in the Auckland District Court today for a
defended hearing before Judge Anne Kiernan.
Judge Kiernan found him guilty and fined him $200 and court costs. The maximum penalty is a $2000 fine.
Bracanov, who represented himself and needed the aid
of special headphones to hear the proceedings properly, said in a DVD
interview with police the royal family did not deserve their positions
because they were born into their roles rather than using their brains
to get them.
He said he would have carried out his plan of throwing manure at the couple if he had not been caught by police.
Bracanov was arrested on November 12 while sitting
on a bench near Britomart, Auckland, ahead of a public meet-and-greet
with Prince Charles and wife Camilla.
Acting Sergeant Loren Clements said a plain clothes
officer had spotted Bracanov, who was known to police, on the bench with
a green bag underneath him.
Bracanov became agitated after police approached him and called them "fascists".
He was arrested and his bag was searched. Police
found a white bucket containing about 2.5 inches of "dark brown
mixture", with an ice cream container inside, possibly to be used as a
scoop, Mr Clements said.
"I believe it was horse manure, but at the time I
didn't know what it was. It was crumbly, wet and sloshed around a bit.
It was not solid."
The contents were not analysed because the police
prosecutor was happy with what Bracanov said and because of the cost of
analysis.
The day before the Auckland visit, Detective John
Mathieson, who works in the police threat assessment unit, and another
officer visited Bracanov at his Mangere home because he was known to
have "strong anti-royalist views". He had also been arrested before
during previous royal visits.
Mr Mathieson was at the house to ask Bracanov what he had planned for the upcoming royal visit.
When
police entered the house, Bracanov was lying on a couch with a white
bucket on the floor next to him with about an inch of "yellow liquid" in
it, Mr Mathieson said.
Bracanov showed police a tube running up his leg connected to a plastic bag he believed was urine.
"He [Bracanov] said if he got the chance he would 'throw shit at them [Prince Charles and wife Camilla]'."
In
the 30 minute DVD police interview played to the court, Bracanov said:
"[Everyone] has known Charlie [Prince Charles] since he was born and had
done nothing to earn his position.
"Charlie
didn't become special because of his brain. He did not qualify because
of his brain, only his body and the body produces shit."
The royals "deserve what they produce", he said.
"Politicians use money and their brains to become special. If you want to be special just wait your turn like the rest of us."
Respect needed to be earned, not passed on, he said.
Bracanov
said he had held anti-royalist views for about 30 years, and he was
arrested about 20 years ago at another royal visit in Auckland. He tried
to spray air freshener on Prince Charles and spent three days in jail.
He denied the charge of planning to commit a crime because he did not think what he planned was a crime.
The royal family were criminals because they "stole money" and said he would "rather rot in jail than pay the fine", he said.
He
said it was wrong for the taxpayers to pay for royal visits and vowed
to continue his fight against the royal family until his death.
3 News Mon, 20 May 2013 3:04p.m.
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