Common crimes
Overview
This chapter has information about some common minor offences that people may face in the criminal courts, particularly when facing criminal charges for the first time. The chapter covers shoplifting, tagging and graffiti, assault, drug offences (like possession of cannabis), and pāua poaching and other fisheries offences.
For each of those areas, the chapter has information about:
- what the prosecution has to prove for you to be convicted
- what defences you might have to the charge
- what the possible penalties are, including what you’re likely to get for a first offence.
This chapter cites a number of New Zealand court decisions as legal authority for the law as we’ve stated it. Sometimes we’ve also set out the facts and outcome of particular cases as examples.
For more information about:
- how to find these cases, see: “Where to go for more support” at the bottom of this page
- how the criminal courts work, see: “The criminal courts”
- what legal advice you can get if you can’t afford to pay a lawyer, see: “Legal aid”
- about driving offences, see: “Driving and traffic law”.
