- Home
- What’s on
- Observations
- Police watch
- Home security
- Advice
- Legal directory
- Search archives
- Contacts
LATEST COURT NEWS:
Career burglar jailed for four years
Steven Albert Tavinor’s Trans-Tasman criminal career is on hold again after another $100,000 spree of offences that added 11 more burglary convictions to his total.
Driver jailed for causing police chase
Christchurch’s busted roads did not slow down 29-year-old James Carpenter when the police spotted him driving while disqualified.
Court marks death of defence lawyer
The Christchurch District Court stood in silence at the Nga Hau e Wha marae in Aranui today in memory of defence lawyer Stuart Poore who died suddenly at the weekend after a long illness.
Police add arson to charge in murder-related case
Police have added arson to an accessory charge faced by a man alleged to have assisted the accused murderer of Christchurch teenager Jade Bayliss.
Another level of Court House opens for business
Another level of Christchurch’s central city Court House reopened for court business yesterday.
Indecencies with boy 26 years ago admitted by manager
The manager at a large Kaiapoi rest home complex has been refused name suppression at his sentencing for sex offending against a young boy 26 and 27 years ago.
Further custody remand for murder accused
A 53-year-old man accused of the rape and murder of a woman bar worker has been further remanded in custody, at a Christchurch District Court appearance inside the men’s prison today.
Patient admits biting hospital staff member
It took nearly a minute to get Steven Garlick’s jaws off the wrist of a Hillmorton Hospital security staff member.
Jail term for bottling in the face
Bottling a man in the face in a scuffle outside a Christchurch bar has brought an 11-month jail term for 20-year-old Spencer Stephen Karaka.
Name suppression lifted on Waltham murder accused
Name suppression has been lifted on a 25-year-old man accused of the murder of 65-year-old Kenneth John Moore at a house in Waltham.
Thief struck while quake city was reeling
A convicted thief who stole four Christchurch City Council generators while the city was reeling from the February earthquake and 13,400 people were without power has been jailed for 18 months.
Long jail term for machete attack on woman
A 22-year-old’s machete attack that nearly severed a woman’s wrist and led her to have an abortion has drawn an eight-and-a-half year jail term, at his sentencing in the Christchurch District Court.
Repeat arsonist assessed as high risk
Repeat arsonist Troy Michael Wells has gone to jail for two years nine months after a warning from the Probation Service that he remains a high risk reoffender.
Time extended for murder trial committal
No decision has been made yet on whether to commit Jeremy George Edward McLaughlin for trial for the murder of 13-year-old Jade Louise Bayliss.
SPCA reduces charge in shot-dog case
The SPCA has agreed to reduce a charge against a man alleged to have repeatedly shot a dog in the head.
$128,000 in fraudulent ACC claims alleged
The Accident Compensation Corporation alleges a Hornby woman has fraudulently claimed more than $128,000 for care of a family member during 2008-09.
Fisheries seeking urgent dates for evidence in Oyang 75 case
The Ministry of Fisheries is worried the Immigration Department could cause problems in a major fisheries case by deporting crew members it wants to remain in New Zealand as witnesses.
Jetstar fined for passenger boarding breach
Jetstar Airways has been fined $6500 after a Melbourne check-in clerk altered a passenger’s nationality to allow visa-free entry to New Zealand.
15 months jail for repeat drink-driver
Repeat drink-driver Keith William Augustus Barlow has been jailed for 15 months for two offences where he was about three times the legal limit.
Repayment bid from 'Hunted Billy' abandoned
All hope of getting reparation money out of William Alexander Stewart – the self-styled “Billy the Hunted One” fugitive in mid-Canterbury – has been abandoned.
Man remanded on weapons charges
A man facing weapons charges after he encountered armed police on his property was remanded on bail by a registrar at the Christchurch District Court today.
Community detention for 140kmh get-away through Kaiapoi
A Woodend man has got community detention and community work for putting lives at risk with his wild, 140kmh drive through suburban Kaiapoi to get away from the police.
New charges against man shot by police
Nine new charges have been laid against a man who was shot by police near Otane in Central Hawkes Bay, then sent to Burwood Hospital for rehabilitation.
Police may get drugs case heard in Auckland
Police may eventually seek to have hearings arising from a major drug bust in Queenstown heard in Auckland, a defence lawyer told the Christchurch District Court today.
Daytime burglar wore fluoro vest
A 25-year-old wore a stolen fluorescent vest to commit a daylight burglary on a Mairehau house.
Public foils teen's getaways twice
An 18-year-old has returned to prison for two offences where members of the public got in the road of his get-away.
More charges laid over car chases
More serious charges have been laid against a 35-year-old Christchurch man arrested over a “night of carnage” in which six patrol cars were allegedly damaged in a series of chases.
Intellectually disabled man jailed for park sex attack
A sexual attack on a 15-year-old girl in a Christchurch park has drawn a three-year two-month jail term for an intellectually disabled man, at his Christchurch District Court sentencing.
Spreydon murder accused sent for trial
A man charged with the murder of a Spreydon woman has been committed for trial and sent for a pre-trial call-over on March 2.
Suppression lifted on Hayden murder accused
Suppression has been lifted on 27-year-old Gavin John Gosnell, charged with the murder of 15-year-old Hayden Miles who disappeared in August and whose body has been found at a Christchurch cemetery.
Pellet gun used in love triangle assault
When 22-year-old Krishnil Nair realised that his ex-partner had begun a relationship with another man, he went visiting and he took a pellet-gun.
Drink-driving crash killed fiance
A Fijian man who drove while drunk and killed his fiancé when he hit a power pole, will face deportation after doing a home detention and community work sentence, the Christchurch District Court was told.
Returning offender arrested at airport
A judge was left pondering the effectiveness of fines enforcement at the border after dealing with an offender who was arrested at Christchurch Airport yesterday.
German tourist admits killing two in head-on smash
A German tourist has admitted causing a head-on collision which killed his German partner, and an 82-year-old Dunedin man, in South Westland in December.
Four years' jail for 'revenge' arson attack
A diagnosis of schizophrenia was not seen as a factor in a man’s arson attack that caused $65,000 damage to his partner’s home – it was straight-out revenge.
Friday at Court
You can follow Chchcourts on Twitter.
Jolon Erin Scott Sweeney is due to make a morning appearance at the Nga Hau e Wha marae, charged with assisting Jeremy McLaughlin to avoid arrest after a burglary - McLaughlin is charged with the murder of teenager Jade Bayliss whose body was found in her Barrington house that had allegedly been burgled and set alight. (A report now appears on this page.)
People newly arrested will appear at 10am and 2.15pm sessions at the Christchurch Court House where the No 2 District Court is in use. That court also has a list of sentencings to be dealt with today. Steven Albert Tavinor, 35, is due for sentence at 11.45am for a string of burglaries and thefts to get money for drugs. (A report now appears on this page.)
The Christchurch District Court has no sitting in the men's prison today for people remanded in custody.
People remanded on bail or summoned to appear at court will appear at the Nga Hau e Wha marae in Pages Road, Aranui, from 10am.
With the central city Court House only partially open, other courts are sitting at various venues around the city.
Police Watch
Details of police alerts are on the Police Watch page. Click the link at left.
Quote of the Week
“A fellow has to do what a fellow has to do. This is a joke. The judge will just release me again.”
This reply was recorded by the police from a 19-year-old caught driving while disqualified while on bail, when they asked why he was continuing to offend. Christchurch District Court Judge David Saunders saw the irony in it and the upset teenager stayed in custody.
Observations Page
A glimpse of one of our possible futures. Click the link at left for the Observations page.
