Christchurch man Paul Laxon appears in court charged with manslaughter

Paul Christopher Laxon. Photo / Facebook

A man has appeared in court charged with manslaughter following the death of a Christchurch man who was killed while riding his motorcycle.

Robert Burns Hutcheon, 70, from Lyttleton, was killed while riding his motorcycle on State Highway 1 near Sefton, North Canterbury on April 30.

He was described by his family as a “very kind and gentle man”.

On Friday, Paul Christopher Laxon appeared in the High Court at Christchurch via audio-visual link before Justice Cameron Mander. Laxon is charged with manslaughter and drug-related charges.

Laxon pleaded not guilty to the charges.

A tentative two-week trial date has been set for February 2025. Laxon was remanded in custody to his next appearance on November 24.

A relative of Hutcheon gave the Herald a brief statement on Thursday.

“We miss Rob so much, he was a good man.”

A second person was seriously injured in the crash and was transported to Christchurch Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter.

Sam Sherwood is a Christchurch-based reporter who covers crime. He is a senior journalist who joined the Herald in 2022, and has worked as a journalist for 10 years.