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LATEST COURT NEWS:
Man admits part in organised burglary ring
By Anne Clarkson. A 27-year-old man admitted a charge of participating in an organised criminal group, 14 burglary charges, and being in disguise for a burglary, in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.
Ex-soldier admits weapons offences
By David Clarkson at Nga Hau e Wha marae. A soldier has admitted having a loaded rifle when he was drunk at home the day after his discharge from the army.
Elderly child sex abuser to get fixed jail term
By David Clarkson. A repeat child sex abuser, aged 74, will not face sentencing in the High Court where an open-ended jail term of preventive detention could have been considered.
Visitor jailed for importing cartoon child abuse images
By David Clarkson. A German visitor will be deported at the end of the 10-month jail term imposed for bringing 34,154 child abuse cartoons – including sado-masochism – into New Zealand on his laptop computer.
Teen's mock-cannabis robbery goes badly wrong
By David Clarkson. An 18-year-old is in custody after a disastrously half-baked robbery where just about everything went wrong.
Rehabilitation sentence for red zone burglaries
By Anne Clarkson. A 43-year-old man who burgled 10 vacant homes in the red zone area of Avondale last January was sentenced to eight months’ home detention to be served in a rehabilitation programme.
Two avoid conviction for docking puppy tails
By David Clarkson. Two people have escaped conviction on animal welfare charges for using a hot knife to dock the tails of five three-day-old Jack Russell puppies.
Nine-time drink-driver's car confiscated
By Anne Clarkson at Nga Hau e Wha marae. A Woodend man caught drunk driving for the ninth time told police he was fine to drive as he had only had seven to eight beers.
Animal cruelty offences alleged
By Anne Clarkson at Nga Hau e Wha marae. A North Canterbury man has appeared in court on three charges of cruelty to animals after allegations that he used a weapon to load pigs for transport, and bludgeoned 13 chickens to death with an iron bar.
City-wide house burglaries admitted
By Anne Clarkson. A 34-year-old man has admitted committing 22 house burglaries across Christchurch over an eight month period.
Shouting in court as Roper found guilty of murder
By David Clarkson. Roper murder trial, Day 7. Nikki Roper has begun his life term for murder still making threats to people in court after being found guilty of killing 21-year-old Alexsis Maria Tovizi.
Jury retires in Roper murder trial
The jury has retired to consider its verdicts in the murder trial of 24-year-old Nikki Roper.
Opposing views of woman's death put to jury
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 7. The Crown says Nikki Roper killed out of jealousy and revenge, but his defence says there was no attack and his alleged victim could have died of an alcohol-related seizure.
Previous choking of victim described at murder trial
Two previous assaults where Nikki Roper seized the throat of the woman he is accused of murdering were put before the jury on the sixth day of his trial in the High Court at Christchurch.
Force needed for drowning in pot, trial told
Efforts by a person to drown themselves in a pot of water would be “almost impossible”, an expert witness explained to the jury at the High Court trial of Nikki Roper, charged with the murder of his ex-girlfriend.
Jail for double dairy robber
After robbing his second dairy, a 24-year-old Riccarton man went to the police station and asked to be put up in a hotel because he felt people were after him.
Inmate tells murder trial of 'sleeper hold' conversation
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 5. A former prison inmate claims that murder accused Nikki Roper said he put a sleeper hold on his ex-girlfriend “because she was cheating”.
Trial hears killing confession
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, further Day 4 report. More than an hour into his police video interview, Nikki Roper asked if he could have a cigarette when it was over, and said, “Yeah. I killed her.”
Witness tells of cash-for-lies offer
By David Clarkson. A woman says she was offered $13,000 to give evidence accusing another man of killing Alexsis Maria Tovizi, rather than Nikki Roper who is now on trial for murder.
Street robbers get broadside from judge
By David Clarkson. Two teen thugs got a full broadside from a judge – and then got given home detention and community work sentences.
Trumpet theft accused stays in custody
By David Clarkson. A man accused of stealing a trumpet and cornet from an Anzac Day service in Christchurch is insisting on speaking for himself, and staying in custody.
Woman tells trial of strangling during sex
By David Clarkson. Further report on Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 3. A woman has told a High Court trial of murder accused Nikki Roper strangling her during sex a few months before he is alleged to have killed his ex-girlfriend with a carotid or sleeper hold.
Inmates recount conversations about killing
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 3. Updated report. A prison inmate has recounted a conversation with murder accused Nikki Roper in which he said he had killed his girlfriend.
Inmate tells murder trial of threat to kill
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 2. A prison inmate told of Nikki Roper threatening to kill his “missus” on the day he was released from prison, eight days before his ex-girlfriend was found dead.
Murder trial hears of overdose weeks before death
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 2. Updated report. Alexsis Maria Tovizi drank beer and took an overdose of her prescribed anti-depressant medication less than three weeks before the Crown alleges she was murdered by an ex-boyfriend.
Murder 'fuelled by jealousy and revenge' says Crown
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, further Day 2 report. The Crown says Alexsis Maria Tovizi’s death was fuelled by an ex-boyfriend’s jealousy and revenge, but the defence will allege suicide was involved.
Trumpet theft accused won't speak to lawyer
By David Clarkson. A man charged with stealing trumpets from an Anzac Day service in Christchurch city is refusing to talk to his assigned lawyer and the Court House’s psychiatric nurse.
Crown alleges sleeper hold or drowning caused death
By David Clarkson. Nikki Roper murder trial, Day 1. The Crown alleges that a young Christchurch mother was murdered with a carotid or sleeper hold, or possibly drowned in a pot of water, by her ex-boyfriend Nikki Roper.
Suppression clamp on injuring case
By David Clarkson. A suppression clamp has come down on the case of two men alleged to have seriously injured a 55-year-old man, at a time when police say a more serious charge may be laid.
Crown disputes medical claims over officer's thefts
By David Clarkson. A hearing may be needed to decide whether a policeman’s cash thefts were caused by his medical condition.
Identification to be key issue at indecency trial
By David Clarkson. Identification will be the key issue at the trial of the 63-year-old man accused of being the “Port Hills groper”.
Family confrontation at court
By David Clarkson. The mother of a teenager killed in a crash in a stolen car was bundled shouting of a court where the alleged driver – a Mongrel Mob member – was being sentenced on other matters.
Alleged 'groper' arrested for bail breach
A man accused of being the “Port Hills groper” has been arrested for breaching his bail conditions after he was found on Huntsbury Hill.
Repeat arsonist to be closely monitored
By David Clarkson. A 12-time arsonist is back in the community, but he will be closely monitored while he serves his latest sentence.
Road spikes halted crime spree
By David Clarkson at Nga Hau e Wha marae. A second man is in custody after road spikes stopped his crime spree in a high speed chase near Blenheim.
Friday at Court
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The District Court has a sitting in the No 2 courtroom on the ground floor to handle arrests and custody remands from 10am. A jury trial is running in one of the courts on level two.
The District Court has sentencing sessions arranged for 9.30am and in two courts this afternoon. A pre-trial conference court is sitting today to settle arrangements for up-coming jury trials.
The District Court at the Nga Hau e Wha marae in Pages Road, Aranui, sits from 10am for people summoned to court or remanded on bail.
Police Watch
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Quote of the Week
"The car was confiscated for 28 days so he had to beg, borrow, or ... er, just beg or borrow, to get to work in the meantime."
Defence counsel Nick Rout explains the effects of a car being impounded, at a sentencing where it was in danger of being seized for a third driving while disqualified. It wasn't.
Observations Page
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