One of a pair of fake diplomats with "extreme views" and a cache of semi-automatic weapons uncovered in a police probe has escaped a jail sentence after citing mental heath concerns.

The bizarre saga, in which police were initially duped by roadside claims of diplomatic immunity, involves two defendants who claim New Zealand law has no sway over them, despite allegations of hidden weapon caches and threatening to ‘shoot back' at police.

Neither of the men, one of whom came to police attention following the Christchurch mosque attack, can be named.

One is set to stand trial next year, and the other – who was sentenced to nine months supervision at the High Court in Hamilton on Friday, was granted interim name suppression.

He was sentenced after earlier pleading guilty to two charges of possession of illegal firearms – semi-automatic AR15s – four charges of possession of prohibited magazines, two charges of unlawful possession of ammunition and one charge of trespass – a charge linked to his arrival at Rotorua police station in 2020.

Justice Graham Lang said his name could remain suppressed until March 31 this year, citing progress he had made with mental health treatment.

The man also claimed his life would be in danger if he was named due to his work with a foreign country's intelligence agency, a claim Lang appeared to put little weight on, given the consulate of the country in question declined to make any information available.

According to the police summary of facts, 'both men have extreme views and claim to be sovereign beings over whom New Zealand law has no jurisdiction”.

One of the men 'came to the attention of the police following the Christchurch Mosque shootings”.

However, the summary did not elaborate as to if or how the man was linked to the terror attack.

As a pair they came to police attention when one of the men arrived at Rotorua Police Station asking to speak to a specific officer, refusing to leave when told the person was unavailable.

After continually refusing to leave he was arrested, and a search warrant executed at his property that uncovered an AR15, illegal magazines and 'a substantial quantity of ammunition”.

Later property searches at addresses for both men uncovered two AR15s, illegal ammunition, three starter pistols 'with the appearance of a Glock pistol” and a ballistic body armour vest.

When that man later appeared in Rotorua District Court, his associate phoned the court.

'The defendant started the conversation by saying that he had just had two police officers firing a laser at him and he wanted acknowledgement that shooting back was OK.”

He also said 'so if someone shoots at me it must be ok for me to shoot back. . . It's now time to act.”

That prompted the court manager to place the court into lockdown, with armed police searching the building.

The same man also made phone calls to police about his associate, telling them he had the legal right to speak for him and that he was 'making sure his associate had not been detained given that he had diplomatic immunity”.

'He further told police that the defendant was a travelling diplomat and that if he had been detained as a diplomat that police would now have an international incident to deal with.”

He arrived at the police station later that evening, where he was arrested.

'He was found to be wearing a fraudulent identification card recording that he had diplomatic immunity.”

Once the police began looking into both men, including their online communications, it uncovered conversations about guns, ammunition and 'a plan to create diplomatic identity cards for the purpose of representing themselves as diplomats and avoiding arrest for what otherwise would be unlawful conduct”.

The pair also agreed on the text they would include on their ‘diplomatic ID' cards, and had researched crests, watermarks, flags, photographs and titles 'in order to make them appear legitimate”.

They also agreed on the text they would use:

'Under international law the bearer of this card shall not be liable to any form of detention or arrest and enjoys immunity from criminal jurisdiction. All appropriate steps shall be taken to prevent any attack on the bearer's person, freedom or rights and the bearer shall be treated with due respect at all times.”

One of the men also created what he claimed was a 'diplomatic” license plate for his car, which, remarkably worked.

The plate was spotted by police cameras and the man pulled over.

'When the defendant was asked for his driver's licence he produced the fraudulent diplomatic immunity card,” the summary said.

'On viewing the document the police officers allowed the defendant to leave in his vehicle in circumstances where they were led to believe he was a diplomat.”

After his arrest one of the men told police his licence plates were indeed genuine, and asked if police 'had contacted Wellington”.

The other man told them 'it is his right as a natural being to have whatever identification he wanted”.

'He also stated that he has a ‘civil conversation' with the Court manager.”

That man is set to stand trial in 2023.

-Stuff/Benn Bathgate.