Troubled developer has two names, $100m of debt and three convictions for child sex offences

Wednesday, 22 October 2025

Property developer Shane Beecham, aka Andrew Bendemski, pictured on the day he appealed his three convictions for sexually violating a young girl.

As Andrew Bendemski he is a property developer with a trail of failed projects and debts exceeding $100 million. As Shane Beecham he is heading to jail after failing to overturn his convictions for sexually abusing a child.

The Press can now reveal for the first time the full story of the Christchurch businessman who changed his name from Beecham to Bendemski, but can no longer hide his crimes after his name suppression bid failed.

Do you know more? Email liz.mcdonald@press.co.nz or jake.kenny@press.co.nz

Beecham was found guilty in August 2023 of three charges of sexual violation of a young girl about 15 years ago. He was sentenced to three years’ prison in February 2024 and ordered to pay $52,000 in reparation to his victim. He was found not guilty of a fourth charge of sexual conduct with a child under 12.

At that time, Judge Raoul Neave granted Beecham bail pending the outcome of his appeals.

The appeals were heard in Christchurch in March this year. Beecham also challenged the judge’s refusal to grant him interim name suppression. This week the Court of Appeal threw the case out. He will now begin serving his prison sentence.

Then aged 41, at his Christchurch District Court trial in 2023 Beecham was accused of repeatedly sexually assaulting the young girl, beginning when she was about 10.

Beecham eating lunch with one of the witnesses who supported his appeal.

Now a young woman, she gave evidence from the stand, her video interview with police was played in court, and she was cross examined in front of the jury. Beecham elected not to give or call evidence.

The exact dates of the offending were an issue at the trial. For his appeal, Beecham sourced statements from two new witnesses, one of whom gave evidence at the hearing. He said their statements brought new evidence forward that undermined the victim’s time line.

Beecham was seen having lunch with one of his witnesses at a nearby restaurant after the appeal hearing.

The Press has omitted some details in order to protect the victim’s identity. Essentially, Beecham said she was either wrong or lying about what he did to her, and claimed the new evidence supported that.

An older photo of Shane Beecham, aka Andrew Bendemski.

In its judgment, the Court of Appeal disagreed, finding the victim’s reliability was already key to the case - it was something Beecham knew and had every opportunity to challenge at the time. The new evidence was also not cogent (clear, logical and convincing), the judges found.

“The central issue at trial was the complainant’s credibility, not the dates or places of the offending,” they said. “The complainant’s evidence was clear about the conduct.” Two new witnesses who did not remember the events the same as the woman had no bearing on the case, the judges determined.

Beecham accepted there were no grounds to continue challenging the refusal to grant him name suppression if his conviction appeal was unsuccessful. Accordingly his application to present further evidence was declined and the appeals were dismissed.

His lawyer, Josh Lucas, told The Press Beecham was disappointed with the outcome and was seeking leave to appeal.

“He will be pursuing this further to show to all that there was a miscarriage of justice at his trial. He will not be commenting any further at this point in time.”

The embattled property developer had a chequered history long before details of his crimes came to light.

In 2016, while still using the name Shane Romek Beecham, he was bankrupted over unpaid personal bills and personal guarantees relating to his Christchurch-based Brix Group of businesses. The bankruptcy was later discharged.

The site of the Stoney Creek housing development (foreground) in Wānaka.

After he began calling himself Andrew Roman Bendemski, he made headlines when his apartment and subdivision projects in Christchurch, Wānaka and Auckland ran aground.

Eight companies, all with him as sole director, are now in the hands of liquidators or receivers.

They include the GCO group of companies, mostly property or investment businesses but also a pharmaceutical company that dealt in medical cannabis.

The Loxley Apartments comprise two five-storey buildings in Takapuna, Auckland. Developed by Bendemski’s company, the buildings are now the subject of a High Court battle.

Those left out of pocket include mortgagees owed both capital and interest, Inland Revenue, staff, and suppliers of goods and services.

Several of Bendemski’s uncompleted projects have resulted in mortgagees attempting to sell his sites.

Uncompleted projects have included Bowenvale Heights, a Cashmere house and land subdivision in the Bowenvale Valley, the Blue Skies subdivision on Johns Rd in northern Christchurch, and the Stoney Creek lakefront luxury townhouse development in Wānaka.

Another, The Loxley apartment complex in Auckland, has been completed after the company collapsed.

Mortgagees are attempting to sell the complex, on which Bendemski’s company owes an estimated $70m, but this has been complicated by a case in the High Court in Auckland.

A hotel development planned by Bendemski for a site in Peterborough St in central Christchurch was taken over by another developer, and that land was also put up for sale.

As of October, Bendemski remains the sole director of four other companies. They are Cass Bay GCO Ltd, Queenswood GCO Ltd, Barry Point GCO Ltd, and Stoney Creek GCO Ltd, which planned a Wānaka subdivision with 59 luxury townhouses.