Magistrates Court Series Of Shop-breaking Offences Admitted

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 29051, 13 November 1959, Page 18

Magistrates Court Series Of Shop-breaking Offences Admitted

Four youths, who among them admitted breaking into ten shops, attempting to break into five others, and unlawfully converting a van, had stolen goods worth £6BO in a series of offences in Christchurch and Kaiapoi over a period of three i onths, it was disclosed in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when the youths appeared before Mr N. M. Izard. S.M.

Seen driving away from a Kaiapoi shop which they had just broken into- on the night of October 23 three of the youths and another who will appear in the Children’s Court were chased by a police car. During the chase one of the youths had flung two radios from the car on to the road and tossed a tape recorder into the river, said Sergeant V. F. Townshend.

The accused were Bruce James Duggan, aged 17, Lewis Perry Le Comte, aged 21 (for both of whom Mr A. L. Holland appeared), James Robert Mitchell, aged 18 (Mr J. B. Stringer), and a 21-year-old man whose name was suppressed in the meantime.

Another 17-year-old youth, who with Mitchell faced only two joint charges, and whose name was suppressed, did not plead and was remanded on bail. Goods stolen by the accused included radios, tape recorders, shoes, watches, cigarettes, and clothing. About £247 worth of the goods had been recovered, although some had been used and had no resale value, said Sergeant Townshend. About £lO3 worth of property had also been damaged by the youths. Eight of the offences had been committed in one night after three of the accused had been to a dance. Two girls who accompanied them would be charged with receiving some of the goods. Duggan admitted to breaking into two shops and attempting to break into three others on his own one night. Each of the accused was remanded to November 19 fpr probation officers’ reports and was released on bail of £lOO in his own recognisance and a similar surety. NINE MONTHS’ GAOL Appearing for sentence on joint charges of shopbreaking and theft, Norman Desmond Petrie, aged 20 (Mr J. G. Leggat) and Robert John Wearing, aged 23 (Mr R. G. de Goldi) were each imprisoned for nine months, to be followed by 12 months’ probation. On further charges of theft they were sentenced "to concurrent terms of three months’ imprisonment. Although Petrie had been before the Court previously these were his first offences for dishonesty, said Mr Leggat

Mr de Goldi said that Wearing was obviously unsuitable for city life and should be given the benefit of probation so that he could go to live and work in the country. The accused had previous convictions but had never been given the benefit of probation.

Sentencing Petrie, the Magistrate said: “I should remind you that the offence of shopbreaking carries with it a penalty of 14 years’ imprisonment.”

Borstal would not be an appropriate penalty and neither would a fine, especially as Petrie had not yet paid a fine imposed by the Supreme Court. The only remaining course was imprisonment, said the Magistrate. “Wearing, you have already served a term of Borstal training without deriving much benefit from it,” said the Magistrate. “In view of the seriousness of these offences. I cannot consider probation.” POST OFFICE THEFTS

Four months’ imprisonment was imposed on Gordon Patrick Redmond, aged 32, a post office clerk (Mr W. F. Brown), on two charges of theft as a servant involving a total of £lO3.

Although the offences were committed while Redmond was in a position of trust it was not a case of embezzlement over a long period, Mr Brown said. It appeared that he stole two sums of money on two dates about four days apart. The probation officer had said that the only explanation for the thefts was sudden temptation followed by a desperate attempt to make up the deficiency by betting at the races. Redmond had no previous convictions and there was nothing in his past tp suggest that lie was addicted to this sort of conduct, Mr Brown said. Thefts while in a position of trust were regarded seriously and the Court could not normally consider probation,’ said the Magistrate. The accused would have to take the consequences of his action and a prison sentence was unavoidable. “You took the first sum of money for gambling purposes and then took a second sum to try to recoup your losses.” he told Redmond. •‘NUISANCE VALUE" A man with 33 convictions obtained two sheets and a pair of blankets from Sargood Son and Ewen, Ltd., by charging them to another person and then attempted to sell the goods to a barman at Bonners Hotel for £5. The barman saw that the invoices were charged to a person whom he knew. When the barman telephoned this person the accused made off, said Sergeant Townshend.

Francis Lewis Gibson, aged 50, an unemployed workman (Mr R. de Goldi) was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment on a charge of obtaining goods valued at £lO 12s 6d by attempted fraud on October 19. He pleaded guilty. On a charge of failing to pay a Ail-car fare of £1 14s When travelling between Dunedin and Christchurch on May 9 Gibson was convicted and discharged. He pleaded guilty. All the accused’s trouble could be attributed to drink, Mr de Gold! said. He was now qualified for preventive detention but' he did not think that this sentence was designed for a person in Gibson’s position. It was a case of protecting Gdbson from himself rather than protecting society. "Gibson, you’ve got a pretty fair nuisance value with charges of theft, false pretences, drunk and disorderly," said the Magistrate. THEFT OF £lO A girl who was found guilty of stealing £lO from her cousin was released on probation for two years when she appeared for sentence. She was ordered to make restitution of £lO. This was a rather pathetic case as both the girls’ parents were dead, said Mr P. R. R. Mulligan, who appeared for the accused. She was 19 years of age and was boarding in Christchurch. The house where she lived when her parents were alive was poor and crowded. There were strong family ties but when the mother died the children were split up and •lived with various relations. The accused had been certified as permanently incapacitated from work because of her mental 2ondition and received a small benefit, Mr Mulligan said. She was charged with stealing £lO from her cousin and her brother had been charged with stealing 10s from him and had been fined £3. If her name was published it would make it even more difficult for her to find work than it had been in the past. THEFT OF BICYCLES “If I had not been drinking I would not have done it,” said John Albert Edgar, aged 49, a labourer, when he pleaded guilty to charges of stealing bicycles valued at £l5 and £6 10s. He was fined £5 on each charge and was ordered to make restitution of £l2. The bicycles belonged to George Doltan Gorgenyi and George Alexander Shaw, said Sergeant E. S. Tuck. They were taken from Moorhouse avenue and St. Asaph street on October 1 and were sold to dealers for £8 10s and £3 10s. The accused was seen by the police at the Ashley State forest, where he worked, and he admitted the offences. Edgar said he had taken the bicycles because he was in debt for lodgings and had been drinking. He said drink was his trouble and he had had a domestic upset. The accused had a fairly long list of previous convictions, Aainly through over indulgence in liquor, Sergeant Tuck said. “I’m going to give you another chance, which you probably don’t deserve," said the Magistrate. “It was a fairly expensive spree as it is going to cost you a total of £25.” Edgar was given two months to pay the fines. PROBATION GRANTED A girl, aged 20, who appeared for sentence on four charges of theft totalling £5, was admitted to probation for one year. Her name was suppressed. Mr G. W. Rountree, who appeared for the accused, said she was a first offender and was

very sorry for what she had done. She had been apprehended after taking £1 IQs and then she freely admitted the other three offences. The accused had suffered from a period of ill health. The offences could be traced to some sort of emotional disturbance because of the lonely, drab existence she had during the last few years. REMANDED Clifford John Pihema, aged 24, and Harry Matthew Peri, aged 23 (Mr B. McClelland), were remanded to November 16 on charges of escaping from lawful custody, car conversion, theft and burglary. On a charge of converting a car valued at £4OO on February 2, Kelvin Wilfred Becker, aged 21, was remanded to November 19. Bail was renewed. Maurice Edward Cavenagh, aged 22, and Murray John Knowles, aged 19, were remanded to November 19 on a charge of theft valued at £6O on September 25. Bail was renewed. lan Harold Pattison, aged 26 (Mr B. J. Drake), and Desmond George Pattison, aged 20 (Mr G. W. Rountree), were remanded to November 19 on a charge of converting a car valued at £5OO on October 25. Bail was renewed. John Richard Allan was remanded to November 19 on a charge of attempted theft valued at £2 at Tinwald on October 26. Bail was renewed. On a charge of being unlawfully on enclosed premises on October 28 Harold Maurice James Smither was remanded to November 19 on .renewed bail. Dennis Patrick Harper, aged 22 (Mr I. A. Prengle), was remanded to November 19 on renewed bail on a charge of,indecently assaulting a male. A 45-year-old man, who was granted interim suppression of his name, was remanded on renewed bail to November 10 on a charge of receiving stolen property valued at £l9 4s on October 17. Vincent John Wright, aged 32, was remanded to November 26 on three charges of theft at Loburn of a total value of £2Ol 12s between September 1 and 15. Bail was allowed in his own recognisance of £2OO, with a similar surety. George Black McWhinnie, aged 52, a motor body builder, was remanded on bail to November 16 on a charge of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. William Hainey Hillhouse, aged 29, was remanded in custody to November 19 on three charges of theft of wool valued at £4Ol 12s between September 1 and 7. On two charges of extortion by threat on July 15 a man, who was granted interim suppression of his name, was remanded on renewed bail to November 26. Walter Clifford Te Koeti, aged 26, was remanded to November' 19 on a charge of housebreaking on November 6. Bail was renewed. INDECENT ASSAULT ON GIRL On a charge of indecent assault on a 13-year-old girl in a bach on his property on October 17 Clinton Wilson, aged 51, was released on probation for 12 months. He had pleaded guilty to the charge. The Magistrate said he was prepared to grant probation because of the defendant’s particular circumstances. He was more to be pitied than blamed for the offence, and the assistance of the probation officer might be of some value to him, PRISON FOR SHOPLIFTER The pursuit of a shoplifter from Woolworth’s, Ltd., High‘street, to the Bridge of Remembrance in Cashel street, where he was apprehended, was described by Sergeant Townshend when Roy Anderson, aged 28, pleaded guilty to the theft of a tin of beans, and cigarettes, valued at 13s 2d, from the shop on November 6. He was sentenced to imprisonment for one week. PRISON FOR YOUTH A youth who was found loitering about streets in Timary on November 4 had a pair of socks in his possession which he admitted taking from a store display counter, said Sergeant Townshend, when Patrick Matthew Waring, aged 19, pleaded guilty to theft of the socks, valued at 8s 6d. The Magistrate sentenced him to imprisonment for one week, to impress on him that he must not steal, and to enable a probation officer to assist in his rehabilitation.