Failing to renew the registration and warrant of fitness of his Toyota Corolla landed a man with his fourth driving while disqualified charge.

Puroka Teokotai appeared before Judge Noel Walsh in the Ashburton District Court for sentencing recently on one charge of driving while disqualified and one charge of common assault.

Police stopped the 32-year-old on Tancred Street just before 8pm on February 8 last year for a vehicle inspection, because the car he was driving did not have a current registration or WOF.

Teokotai was found to be driving while disqualified indefinitely from a previous charge.

He also appeared on a charge of assault stemming from an incident on March 13 last year.

According to the summary of facts, Teokotai got into an argument with his former partner who started to rip up photos of Teokotai's new partner. When the ex-partner refused to leave, Teokotai punched her in the left eye.

Judge Walsh convicted Teokotai and sentenced him to six months' supervision.

Found guilty

Two people who denied charges the police filed against them appeared for judge-alone trials

Tinwald man Preston Gary Ruck, 34, was charged with cultivating cannabis on December 11, 2022.

Judge Walsh convicted and discharged Ruck on the charge.

Simon David McKenzie, 43, had earlier pleaded not guilty to two charges of wilful trespass and one charge of threatening speech in July and September last year.

Judge Walsh found McKenzie guilty on all three charges and sentenced him to a total of one month in jail and issued a protection order in favour of the victim.

McKenzie was released from jail for time already served.

By Sharon Davis