Man accused of stealing Te Whatu Ora vaccine data interviewed by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones

· RNZ
Barry Young, 56, in Wellington District Court on Monday morning.Photo: RNZ / Ruth Hill

A man charged with stealing Te Whatu Ora vaccine data has done an interview with high-profile United States conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.

Barry Young, 56, appeared in Wellington District Court on Monday charged with accessing a computer system for dishonest purposes and was released on bail the following afternoon.

In the InfoWars interview, branded "a world exclusive" and his "first interview" following his arrest, Young said he repeatedly trying to contact Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters to offer him the information but "got nowhere".

Peters' office declined to comment.

He described his arrest, saying he "almost s--t" himself when a squad of eight police officers arrived at his home "like the Gestapo", and ransacked his home.

As a database administrator in IT departments, he said he had access to all the information he needed to investigate deaths and injuries.

He claimed he was "not anti-vaccine" but just wants "a fair and honest inquiry".

Te Whatu Ora has described his actions as "a gross breach of trust" and maintains there is no evidence whatsoever that the Covid-19 vaccinations have caused excess deaths.