Nathan Symington admitted sharing a photo of the desecrated gravestone that had been sent to him by a friend but denied committing the act of vandalism, which saw more than a dozen graves daubed with swastikas and other anti-Semitic graffiti last Thursday.
“No, I didn’t do it. They’re just trying to point the stick at someone. I feel like killing myself over this because my name has been publicly shamed,” Symington has said of the case against him.
Symington has also said that that he will fight to prove his innocence and that he feels the case against him has been little more than a “witch hunt”.
The two other men accused of the acts of vandalism were awarded interim name and image suppression but Symington was not. The other two had little to say after being released on bail last week but Symington has been vocal of his innocence and of his desire to see justice done.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown has said the city has “zero tolerance for racism, bigotry and ethnic intolerance” in light of the shocking attacks.
Photos: Thinkstock/Getty.
