Tauranga naturist Andrew Pointon, who previously won the right to jog naked through a forest, has lost an appeal against guilty verdicts on two other charges relating to nudity.



Offensive behaviour charges were laid after neighbours reported seeing Pointon gardening in the nude at his home in January 2012, and mowing the lawn naked in March 2012.



Pointon pleaded not guilty to the charges resulting from those incidents, but at a defended hearing in Tauranga District Court in May this year a judge found him guilty. He was fined $300 and $350 on the charges.



In the August 2011 naked jogging case, Pointon was found guilty in Tauranga District Court of offensive behaviour. He appealed and last December Justice Paul Heath upheld the appeal at the High Court in Tauranga.



Pointon's appeal against the guilty verdicts on the naked gardening and lawnmowing charges was also heard by Justice Heath, but this time the judge dismissed the appeal.



In the appeal against the gardening and lawnmowing decisions, Pointon had said he wanted to seek an adjournment of the district court hearing on May 31, 2013 but was interrupted by the judge before he had a chance to do so.



Pointon had said he was forced to defend the charges on his own behalf despite a lack of understanding of the processes. The right-handed Pointon had also said that at the time the whole of his right arm was in a plaster cast, hindering significantly his ability to make notes.



Pointon had said he had lost confidence in his lawyer who had told him his case was unwinnable. He had sought a transfer of legal aid to another lawyer, but that was refused by the legal aid authorities. His lawyer had been granted leave to withdraw and he had been unable to brief alternative counsel before the May 31 hearing.



The lawyer had disputed saying the case was unwinnable.



Justice Heath said he was confident Pointon received a fair hearing. Pointon had picked up his file from the Public Defence Service on May 22 but, on his own evidence, took no steps to read statements and briefs of evidence on the file, rather he hoped to ask the court to grant an adjournment.



Justice Heath said he endorsed the district court finding on the gardening and lawnmowing charges. In those matters the district court ruled that Pointon knew what he did would cause offence to some of his neighbours, and did so in any event.



Unlike the naked running incident, the gardening and lawnmowing incidents happened when it would be likely, if not certain, children would be around.