A shopping trip to Kmart in Ashburton did not turn out as planned for a Timaru man when police executed an arrest warrant and found ecstasy and cannabis.

Simon John Spring, 60, appeared in the Ashburton District Court on Monday. He pleaded guilty to three drug possession charges after police withdrew an additional charge of assault.

Police prosecutor Senior Sergeant Iain Patton said Spring was in the car park at Kmart on July 18. He tried to dispose of some drugs when police came to arrest him on "other matters".

The police found a cannabis plant and a container with pills and capsules. Both tablets turned out to be ecstasy.

Spring was charged with the possession of cannabis, possession of ecstasy, and the unlawful possession of medicine, that was also tested as ecstasy.

Judge Dominic Dravitzki said Spring had "a very bad history of drug cultivation and involvement" from some time back and was up for sentencing on three low-end possession charges.

He said Spring had "small amounts" of each drug for personal use and carried a maximum sentence of three months in jail on each charge.

Spring was convicted and sentenced to 60 hours' community work.

Judge Dravkitzki issued an order for the destruction of the drugs seized.

Community detention cancelled

A woman, who played a part in low-level drug dealing while she and her partner were out of work due to being unvaccinated, had her community detention sentence cancelled.

Danielle Maree Malyon, 27, was sentenced to six months' community detention and six months' supervision on six counts of supplying cannabis and LSD between May and August last year.

During her sentencing in August, the court was told Malyon was naïve, lacked appreciation of what she was doing, and was appearing on her first offence.

On Monday, duty lawyer Tiffany McRae said Malyon had difficulty completing the "community detention part of the sentence".

Malyon was at a Wellington address with her young daughter but moved out when drugs were introduced at the address. She returned to Ashburton but had been the victim of family violence at the new address and was now living in emergency accommodation in Christchurch away from her friends and support network.

McRae said there was no emergency accommodation available in Ashburton and it was "a bit of a juggle" for Malyon and her young daughter.

She said Maylon was also dealing with some medical issues. If she stayed on a community detention sentence, she would be stuck in Christchurch and isolated.

Probation supported the cancellation of the community detention sentence.

Judge Dravitzki said it was unusual to cancel community detention "but these are unusual circumstances" and cancelled the remaining portion of the community detention sentence.

"You remain on your sentence of supervision."

Interim name suppression

A young Mid Canterbury man was granted interim name suppression ahead of applying for a discharge without conviction.

The 19-year-old pleaded guilty to a charge of threatening to kill on October 12.

Lawyer Tiffany McRae, acting on behalf of Paul Bradford, said the man suffered from mental health issues and naming him would add to his mental stress.

She asked the judge to consider interim name suppression and to withhold a conviction to allow Bradford to apply for a discharge without conviction for his client.

The man was granted interim name suppression and will appear again on February 4. His bail conditions were varied to allow for a restorative justice meeting to take place.

Sex charges denied

An alleged sex offender has denied a second sex charge.

A man who had earlier denied charges of performing an indecent act with a boy under 12 pleaded not guilty to a charge of sexual violation between February 2015 and February 2016.

The man was granted interim name suppression in October.

His lawyer Joanna Lorrigan-Innes said the man had elected to have a judge-alone trial and asked Judge Dravitzki to extend the man's interim name suppression due to the risk of him being confronted by the community.

She said the man was now in emergency accommodation in Christchurch but hoped to get a bail address in Ashburton where he had a support network.

The man alleges he had been confronted twice in the community.

Senior Sergeant Patton said the man had not reported the alleged confrontations to the police so there was no evidence of that - only his word.

Judge Dravitzki said the man had a significant mental health diagnosis that was accepted by the police. But they say there is no evidence presented that the publication of his name would worsen his mental health.

"I'm prepared to accept that is a likely risk in light of the seriousness of the diagnosis and the seriousness of the charges you are facing."

The judge also accepted that there was a risk of further abusive confrontation and continued the interim name suppression until the man's next court appearance on January 22 when a date for a judge-alone trial would be set.

Remanded without plea

A drink driver will end up with an interlock sentence for his first drink driving conviction

Troy Peter Christie, 21, blew 854 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath when stopped by police on Walnut Avenue on November 5.

Duty lawyer Tiffany McRae said the alcohol level meant an interlock sentence would apply and she asked for Christie to be remanded without plea to discuss how this would potentially work with his employer.

He will appear again on December 11.

Driving while suspended

A trip to pick his daughter up after school drive just 19 days after his licence was suspended has landed a solo dad with a 12-month disqualification.

Pere Mataiti, 37, admitted his third driving while suspended charge on July 29.

Duty lawyer Keith Owen said Mataiti was very disappointed in himself and had sold the vehicle.

Owen said Mataiti was a solo father and was picking his daughter up after school when he was stopped by police.

Judge Dravitzki said Mataiti had "a substantial criminal history but not for this type of offending". There were two prior driving charges in 2019.

Mataiti was disqualified from driving for 12 months and sentenced to 70 hours' community work.

Driving charge

A Rakaia man was remanded without plea on a charge of driving while disqualified.

Jacob Mohitti Kohi, 35, was stopped by police on West Town Belt on September 1 and charged with driving while disqualified.

He was remanded without plea and will appear again on January 12.

Repeat drink driver

A man stopped for drink driving on Braemar Lauriston Road faces his eighth conviction.

Cameron Ralph Mansell, 44, blew 561mcg in a breath test on November 4.

Senior Sergeant Patton said it was Mansell's eighth conviction, with the most recent prior conviction being in 2017.

Mansell was convicted and remanded on bail for sentencing on January 12.

Careless driving admitted

Tinwald woman Natasha Christine Ranson pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving on East Street on July 17.

The 31-year-old hit a person riding a bicycle when she failed to give way at the intersection with Moore Street. Ranson said she was looking in the rearview mirror at her child in the back seat at the time of the crash.

She had also earlier admitted driving while suspended for the third time on Chalmers Avenue on April 11.

Ranson was remanded to February 5 to allow for a restorative justice conference, confirm the amount of reparation sought, and allow her to get her licence.

No appearance

Ranginui Teariki Oneone, 37, failed to appear on a charge of threatening to kill.

The offence is alleged to have occurred in Wairoa on October 29 and was transferred to the Ashburton District Court.

Judge Darvitzki said he was not comfortable issuing an arrest warrant because it was not clear whether Oneone knew she was due to appear on Monday.

The case was remanded to December 11.

Community work cancelled

A Fairton woman battling an opiate addiction had her community work sentence cancelled.

Tanesha Sheree Tiepa, 43, admitted breaching her community work sentence.

Tiepa was sentenced to 40 hours' community work in July and had failed to report to corrections.

McRae said Tiepa had a "significant opiate addiction" and was working hard at reducing her consumption so she could attend a detox facility.

Tiepa also had contact with her son on weekends and she had prioritised that over community work which was only available on Saturdays.

Corrections made an application to cancel the sentence so Tiepa could be resentenced.

Judge Dravitzki cancelled the community work sentence and sentenced Tiepa to a total of nine months' supervision with special conditions to attend any counselling or courses recommended by probation.

Charges withdrawn

A charge of assault laid against Clifford James Duckmanton, 39, has been withdrawn.

He was remanded without plea in August on a charge of assaulting a child on June 11. The police have now withdrawn the charge.

By Sharon Davis