Damon Redshaw avoids jail for 234 g of cannabis, sawn-off rifle and drug driving
Christchurch District Court Judge Quentin Hix sentenced 54-year-old Damon Redshaw without prison after police found 234 grams of cannabis in his crashed vehicle, along with a sawn-off .22 rifle, ammunition and a methamphetamine vape.
🇳🇿 Christchurch District Court, Christchurch · New Zealand
Christchurch District Court Judge Quentin Hix sentenced 54-year-old Damon
Redshaw on 11 November 2026, describing him during sentencing as a man whose
mind was running at a hundred kilometres per hour.[1]Redshaw avoided jail
over the cannabis, the sawn-off shotgun and drug driving.[1]
Redshaw told the court the right front tyre of his vehicle blew out on his way
to Homebase in Shirley, and that he collided with another vehicle before pulling
over.[1]Police found a briefcase in his vehicle containing six zip-locked
bags with 234 grams of cannabis.[1]In the vehicle’s boot they found a
sawn-off bolt-action .22 rifle in a computer bag and 126 rounds of ammunition.[1]Police also found a vape containing methamphetamine, which Redshaw said he
had no knowledge of.[1]
Case data
Every number and detail the sources state, with the sources that state it.
Charged
1
Sentenced
1
Cannabis
234 g
Agencies
New Zealand Police; Christchurch District Court
Agency type
Police, Court
Cannabis
Herbal cannabis (234 g)
Activity
Possession, Use
Setting
Vehicle
Charges
drug driving; possession of cannabis; possession of a sawn-off shotgun
The accessible portion of the paywalled article does not give the precise sentence, such as a fine, disqualification or community work; only that Redshaw avoided jail.
The date of the tyre-blowout crash that led to the police search is not given.
The exact cannabis charge, possession or supply, is not stated in the accessible text.
The claim that Redshaw had no knowledge of the methamphetamine in the vape appears only in the headline and is not elaborated in the accessible text.
Sindee Jane Beecroft, a 58-year-old woman from Pleasant Point, near Timaru, was sentenced in the Timaru District Court after police found 500g of dried cannabis bud when they searched her property. Judge Maurice Casey told her the evidence showed she was not just a casual cannabis user.
Judge Mark Williams sentenced Jade-Cooper Mackenzie in the Invercargill District Court on cannabis dealing and other drug and assault charges, rejecting his claim that he sold only to fund his own addiction. Mackenzie had handled 16kg of cannabis, held $35,000 in cash and had two people working for him.
Ruben Flutey, 34, was sentenced to 10 years and five months in prison at the Wellington District Court after being convicted on 18 charges, including supplying methamphetamine, cannabis, ecstasy and ketamine. Police seized nearly $200,000 of assets including drugs, cash, a classic car, motorbikes and jet skis, and four more associates were due to be sentenced in November and December.
Arrested 1Charged 1Prison 10 years and five months
A young man was convicted in the Cook Islands criminal High Court on 26 February 2026 for possessing 0.20 grams of cannabis, after hiring a lawyer, gathering character references and attending a men's counselling centre. A letter to Cook Islands News argued the amount was below the 250-milligram THC threshold in the Narcotics and Misuse of Drugs Act 2004.
