A man granted bail to attend a tangi has been returned to custody after missing his flight from Dunedin Airport. 

The man, 38, had been granted bail on compassionate grounds by the courts to travel from Dunedin to Wellington by flight on Thursday.

When a person is granted compassionate bail by the courts, they are not in Corrections' custody.

A Corrections spokesperson said because a person granted court-imposed bail is not in Corrections’ custody, they were not accompanied by Corrections officers for the period that they were on bail.

“While this person was not in our custody, one Corrections staff member had transported the person to the airport to board their flight.”

The person missed their flight and his partner arrived at the airport to collect him.

He was arrested Thursday morning in Oban St, near Columba College. 

Police said he sustained dog bites during his arrest and was taken to hospital for treatment. 

“The Corrections staff member deemed this a breach of his bail conditions and immediately notified Police who arrested him for this breach. This person is now in custody.”

The spokesperson said if someone was in prison on remand, waiting to be convicted or sentenced by the court, compassionate bail to attend a funeral can be granted by the court.

“In these cases, people on remand or their legal representative make an application to the court for bail. A judge decides whether to grant an individual bail and what conditions they must comply with, including when they need to return to prison.”

The person was remanded in custody until their next court hearing. They had not been convicted.