PETER MEECHAM/Fairfax Media
IN THE DOCK: TV presenter Ben Boyce, right, with crew Daniel Watkins, Bryce Casey, Craig O'Reilly, Gregory Clarke and Andrew Robinson at an earlier appearance in Manukau District Court.
Comedian Ben Boyce will have to wait until half way through next year to find out his fate following his botched made-for-TV airport stunt.
A three-day defended hearing on the case has been scheduled for May for Boyce and five of his colleagues.
The six men pleaded not guilty in the Manukau District Court after being charged when the stunt for his TV3 show WannaBen backfired. It allegedly involved a man in a fake pilot uniform trying to board an Air NZ plane in September.
Boyce, The Rock host Bryce Casey, TV producer Andrew Robinson, Daniel Watkins, Craig O'Reilly and Gregory Clarke all face a charge under the Civil Aviation Act of providing false information in an attempt to gain access to a secure area.
At one of their initial appearances one of the men's lawyers sought diversion, but police recently confirmed that had been denied.
Police confirmed the men face a maximum of 12 months imprisonment and a $10,000 fine.
Last week lawyer Paul Dacre's application for a variation on bail drew laughter from the public gallery.
He told Judge Anna Johns that the men were barred from going to Auckland Airport but with summer holidays approaching and the Rugby World Cup over, he sought to amend the bail conditions so they could go to the airport "for the purposes of travel".
Judge Johns agreed to the amendment.
At the time, the stunt was widely condemned by the aviation industry which said the men could find it difficult to travel internationally if convicted.
Prime Minister John Key said the stunt, in the middle of the Rugby World Cup and close to the anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks, was "irresponsible from a bunch of clowns that should know better".
"We are in the middle of hosting a Rugby World Cup and if these are people who are just playing games, they need to grow up."
In a statement issued in September by TV3's owner MediaWorks, Boyce said he was "very sorry for all the trouble [the stunt] has caused".
"This was an attempt at humour which we fully accept was misplaced.
"I cannot say how sorry we all are."
- Auckland Now
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