Man at centre of hunt jailed

Gavel

A Napier man who sparked a manhunt in October last year has been sent to jail.

Shane Teddy, who was 49 at the time of the hunt, was yesterday sentenced to four years imprisonment by Judge Geoff Rea at Napier District Court.

At a previous court appearance, Teddy admitted using a hammer as a weapon and unlawful possession of a sawn-off shotgun and ammunition.

The court had heard Teddy did not hit anyone with the hammer, but he brandished it as he chased his partner during a domestic incident which alerted police.

He also admitted one charge of offering to supply methamphetamine between March 19 and May 26 last year and another charge of perverting the course of justice by coercing someone to give a false statement during that same period.

He was sentenced to three years imprisonment for this charge, to be served concurrently.
Another two charges which related to the possession of shotgun shells and of a pipe for smoking methamphetamine had been withdrawn at an earlier court appearance due to a lack of evidence.

Teddy was the subject of a police armed offenders squad callout after a report of a domestic violence incident on October 19.

Police issued a public statement the following day which said they believed he had confronted his partner with a gun before barricading himself inside the house.

The Armed Offenders Squad was involved in a standoff which lasted several hours and police used a loudspeaker to try to call him out of the premises where he was believed to be.

There was no reply and there was no answer to numerous phone calls from the police.

They eventually fired teargas into the house and discovered he was no longer there.

Police searched several properties the following day, but failed to find him.

He was arrested about two days later.