High-profile parolee Dean Wickliffe was back before the courts today after he was allegedly caught drinking last week.

Hugh Dean Wickliffe, 69, who appeared in the Tauranga District Court today via audio-visual link from prison, faced a charge of breaching his parole release conditions by consuming alcohol on March 14.

The charge was laid by the Department of Corrections.

Wickliffe was the subject of an interim recall to prison by the Parole Board last week.

He spent most of his adult life behind bars and was released from prison on parole in May last year.

The Parole Board imposed strict conditions on Wickliffe, including him not consuming alcohol or non-prescribed drugs.

His lawyer John Holmes told Judge Thomas Ingram he had spoken to Wickliffe at length since his arrest but was seeking to enter no plea to this Parole Act charge today.

There are were circumstances behind this charge which needed to be further explored before doing so, Holmes said.

Judge Ingram said he understood the situation, and further remanded Wickliffe in custody to next appear in court on April 11.