University of Canterbury student has charges dismissed for alleged weapons in halls of residence

The University of Canterbury student who appeared in court for allegedly possessing weapons at his halls of residence has had the charges against him dismissed. Photo / George Heard

A University of Canterbury student who appeared in court for allegedly possessing offensive weapons in his halls of residence has had the charges against him dismissed and his name kept secret.

The 20-year-old, who was granted permanent name suppression, had completed a diversion resulting in the charges against him being dismissed, the Christchurch District Court heard today.

The man’s lawyer, Andrew Riches, was not present in court, nor was the student but Judge Paul Kellar confirmed the diversion had taken place.

According to the New Zealand Police website, diversion is a scheme managed by the Police Prosecution Service (PPS) that provides an alternative to full prosecution.

The man first appeared at the Christchurch District Court in October last year after police were contacted by staff at the halls of residence on October 19 due to concerns about the man’s wellbeing, court documents stated.

The court heard the man was outside talking with security before leaving and was later arrested by police.

It’s alleged in court documents that police found a small handheld taser in the man’s room. They also allegedly found a hunting-style flick knife in his possession when he was walking south on Waimari Rd.

Riches had previously told the court the man had since been banned from his halls of residence and was unable to finish his studies which added to the stress on his mental health.

During the man’s second court appearance, Riches argued there had been some misreporting by the media and confusion surrounding the case due to the wrong charge being laid.

At his first appearance, police withdrew a restricted weapon charge and replaced it with one of possession of an offensive weapon. His previous lawyer stressed that the incident had nothing to do with a firearms charge.

But the following month, the charges were changed again.

He was initially charged with possession of an extendable baton and knife, but the possession of the baton charge was later withdrawn and replaced with possession of a taser.

Judge Kellar confirmed today that the charges were dismissed and the matter was brought to an end.

Emily Moorhouse is a Christchurch-based Open Justice journalist at NZME. She joined NZME in 2022. Before that, she was at the Christchurch Star.