Convicted sex offender Bernard McGrath has reappeared briefly in court as he continues his bid to fight extradition to Australia.
McGrath appeared briefly in the Christchurch District Court on Monday where a date for his extradition hearing was set for 12 April.
He is facing 252 charges of sexual abuse laid in a court in Newcastle, New South Wales.
McGrath was a St John of God brother when he abused boys in Christchurch, for which he spent two terms in prison, released most recently in 2008.
In October last year, Australian police asked their New Zealand counterparts to help extradite him, but he left the country before the new charges could be laid.
McGrath returned to New Zealand from Sri Lanka in December.
