A defendant received a stern warning from a judge after he was found to be living with one of the principal witnesses in a hearing at which she will be giving evidence.
Tyler Corkin Keene, 20, of Christchurch, had been due to defend charges of intentional damage and assault in the Greymouth District Court on Friday.
However, he was found to be living with one of the main witnesses involved in the hearing.
Judge Tony Couch said Keene had made a "serious admission", as he had clearly moved from his bail address, which was a potential breach of bail, and was now in a position to "influence her substantially".
However, the judge said he would not take any further action, but would trust Keene to comply with his bail conditions, remanding him on bail to August 10 to defend the charges.
