Trial date set for man accused of sending threatening emails to Ardern

A man accused of sending threatening emails to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will go on trial next year.

Police accuse Aucklander Michael Christopher Cruickshank of "sending three emails having already sent 89 emails" between October 17 last year and January 19 this year, a charging document viewed by the Herald reads.

The emails, the police allege, were intended to harass the Prime Minister and cause Ardern to "fear for her safety (or) the safety of her family".

The accused is charged under the Harassment Act 1997 and faces a maximum sentence of two years' imprisonment if found guilty, the charging document states.

Judge Evangelos Thomas set a trial date for the case of May 24 in the Auckland District Court.

However, the court heard that date may be vacated if it is deemed the trial needs to be held in the High Court at Auckland.

At his first appearance in the North Shore District Court, Cruickshank had pleaded not guilty.