Otago's 'cave man' charged over shed arson

He calls himself 'Little John' and lives in a cave. But court documents name him as John Black, and he now faces a charge of arson.

A man who has lived in a cave for more than a decade has been charged over the arson of a rural shed.

John Russell Black, of Outram Glen according to court documents, was to appear before Judge Dominic Flatley in the Dunedin District Court on Tuesday morning.

Black, who is representing himself, had his appearance excused due to difficulties attending court, and will appear in the new year.

The 58-year-old faces a charge of arson after a hut was intentionally damaged by fire on October 28.

Black, known as Little John, lived in a cave on outskirts of Outram, west of Dunedin, surviving on a few hundreds dollars a year, donated food parcels and performing DIY dentistry with a pair of pliers.

“Coming to the cave was a way to escape all the evil that was going on,” the 57-year-old told Stuff earlier this year.

That included battles with alcohol addiction and the collapse of a relationship.

After Stuff’s story, Black reunited with his Dunedin-based father, and later his Australian-based sister, who last saw him 25 years earlier.

The story mentioned how Black had lived in the cave, on and off, for a decade and used a small shed to store personal items.

It is understood to be the same shed destroyed in the blaze.

Last month he sparked police callouts when he was arrested for carrying weapons in public – a crossbow and axe – on two separate occasions.

He told police he needed the crossbow for hunting.

Black will appear in court again on January 17.