A former Dunedin City Council candidate has appeared in court charged with serious violence. Anthony Karl Lewis Hart (aka Karl Hart), 62, appeared in the Dunedin District Court on Thursday facing charges of impeding breathing, allegedly by suffocation, and assault in a family relationship. They carry maximum penalties of seven years’ jail and two years’ jail, respectively. Impeding breathing was made a qualifying charge under the three strikes legislation in June last year. He did not enter pleas to the charges and was remanded on bail to appear in court again next month. Hart finished in last place in the October 2025 Dunedin City Council election, winning just 14 first-preference votes. He spent no money on his campaign. “Even though I haven’t done it before, I’ve got such a varied background that I think I can bring a lot of different opinions and different ways of looking to things,” he said in a campaign video. Fifty-four candidates stood for council in last year’s election.
