Roger William Blake, a man from Ngatea, is returning home after his jail sentence was changed to three months of home detention. Blake spent 97 days in jail before the conversion of his sentence.
In January, Blake was found guilty of exploiting the Covid pandemic for profit by selling bleach as a supposed cure for the virus. His company made over $100,000 from this during the global crisis.
Blake was initially sentenced to 10 and a half months in jail for charges related to violations of the Medicines Act, as well as for obstructing a Ministry of Health officer. The charges also included making false statements about himself and his company selling a product called “MMS”, or Miracle Mineral Solution, which was essentially bleach mixed with water.
Judge Brett Crowley had previously allowed Blake, 61, to have his jail sentence changed to home detention if he cooperated with the necessary paperwork. However, Blake, who has used several versions of his name in the past, could have been released a day earlier if he had confirmed his birth name to Judge Noel Cocurullo.
After some confusion over his name, a probation officer was able to confirm Blake’s identity using a photo in the Corrections’ system. Judge Kiriana Tan accepted this and calculated that Blake had served 97 days in jail, with 28 days served before his sentencing. She then changed his sentence to three months of home detention.
