The illness of a crown witness has been cited as the reason for a charge of recklessly firing a rifle being dropped against a Canterbury farmer.
The charge against Roger William O'Byrne, 56, of Cust, was dropped at a pre-trial conference yesterday, without explanation, the Christchurch court newswebsite reported.
The case went to trial last year, which ended with O'Byrne's acquittal on two similar charges and a hung jury on the third.
The charges resulted from a confrontation between O'Byrne and two anglers he saw on his land which ended with shots being fired.
Police confirmed today that the matter would not proceed to a retrial because a crown witness was unable to give evidence because of ill-health.
