University of Canterbury student in court over alleged possession of weapons in halls of residence

The man appeared at Christchurch District Court this morning. Photo / George Heard

A University of Canterbury student has appeared in court after police allegedly found offensive weapons in the halls of residence.

But his lawyer has argued that the student, who has name suppression, has been wrongfully charged in relation to possession of a restricted weapon, stressing that he faced no firearms charges.

The man appeared at the Christchurch District Court on Wednesday, charged with possession of an extendable baton and a knife after police were called to a university address on October 19.

In court, police withdrew the possession of a restricted weapon charge and replaced it with possession of an offensive weapon.

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The man’s lawyer said media had “speculated” as to what his client was charged with and the possession of a restricted weapon charge “should have never been laid”.

He asked the judge to grant his client interim name suppression as well as suppressing the summary of facts, stating it had included items in the man’s possession that were “irrelevant”.

The man’s lawyer said there were issues around allegations of self-harm so it was “prudent” to ensure his name was suppressed.

Judge Murray Hunt granted the man interim name suppression as well as any factors leading to his identity and the summary of facts.

The man was remanded on bail until his next appearance on November 15.

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