Violent confrontation on Canterbury farm after 4WD broke down

A four-wheel-drive trip took a dramatic turn when a vehicle broke down in a riverbed and two men seeking help were met by a farmer carrying a rifle after a rabbit-shooting trip. The confrontation on the Canterbury farm three years ago left Jesse Johnson, also known as Jesse Whitaker, with a criminal conviction he has spent the past 18 months trying to overturn. He has long argued he acted in self-defence when confronted by the farmer carrying the rifle. While a jury acquitted him on three assault charges arising from the incident, it found him guilty of a representative charge of common assault after concluding he had “gone berserk”, punching the farmer in the head, throat and chest, court documents show. Johnson was sentenced following a trial in the Christchurch District Court in April 2025.