Judge allows bail for drug charges

A 24-year-old man will deny growing and dealing in cannabis at the Christchurch address where he was serving a home detention sentence.

The police said they had strong evidence of the offending and opposed bail when the unemployed man appeared before Judge Raoul Neave in the Christchurch District Court yesterday.

However, they had not prepared a detailed, written bail opposition before the hearing.

Judge Neave said: ‘‘I expect a reasonable level of information to be provided to me before I deprive someone of their liberty.’’

The man was sentenced to home detention in July on charges of burglary and attempting to pervert the course of justice by texting threats to a witness. That sentence, which is being served at a Redwood house, is due to finish in March.

The man does not have suppression of name but it cannot be reported because of the discussion about his criminal record at his bail hearing yesterday.

Defence counsel Andrew Bailey said the man would deny the new charges, which allege he grew two small cannabis plants at the home detention address and that he sold cannabis from the house. Police said they searched the property after an allegation that people had been buying cannabis at the house. Two small plants were found, as well as $235 in cash, tinfoil, scales and cannabis utensils.

A cellphone was seized and it contained texts indicating drug dealing, and goods from two burglaries were found.

Bailey said the police had stopped a car that left the address, and when they found cannabis in the vehicle they assumed it came from the property.

Judge Neave said there was a question mark over details of the alleged offending, and granted bail for the man to appear on January 18. He told the man he would have to consent to police searches without notice at his property while he was there on bail.

He also warned that if clearer evidence emerged about the offending, the man’s bail might be reconsidered.