Magistrate’s Court Three Months’ Gaol For Stealing From Pensioner

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29269, 29 July 1960, Page 10

Magistrate’s Court Three Months’ Gaol For Stealing From Pensioner

Mistaken by an elderly woman in one of a block of pensioners’ cottages in Fitzgerald avenue for a City Council rent collector, Graham Wootton, aged 20, accepted £2 17s 6d which she gtjve him and signed her rent card with an illegible signature, said Sergeant S'. Byers in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The accused, who is at present serving a six months’ prison term, was gaoled for three months by Mr A. E. Lee, S.M., oii a charge of theft of the money from Elizabeth Mary Allen, a pensioner. He pleaded guilty. On another charge of theft of a wallet and cheque book from a dental surgeon at the Christchurch Public Hospital, and four charges of false pretences by which he obtained money and goods of a total value of £2B by the issue of valueless cheques, Wootton was remanded to August 4 for sentence. He pleaded guilty to the offences. Referring to the theft of the rent money Sergeant Byers said the accused had been employed as a photographic salesman and decided to canvass the pensioners’ cottages. He told police when interviewed that although he realised the woman had mistaken him for the rent collector the temptation had been too great and he had accepted the money and signed her book. ESCAPER GAOLED For escaping from the Rolleston prison on July 19 Thomas Patrick Hayes, aged 18, whom the Magistrate described as already a “confirmed escaper,” was sentenced to imprisonment for six months. "This is your eighth escape from institutions,” said the Magistrate in imposing the sentence, which is to be cumulative upon his present term. His partner in .the prison escape, Gordon Francis Hoafe, aged 18, was further remanded to August 4 for sentence. Both accused had earlier pleaded guilty to the charge. STOLE PAY OF • WORKMATE For four weeks Bernard Thomas Byers, aged 34, accepted pay for a fellow employee who was in hospital recovering from an accident on the pretext- that he would deliver it to him, said Sergeant T. A. A. Marson. Byers, instead, kept the money, £4O, and spent it on race betting. He pleaded guilty to four charges of theft of £lO from Stanley Green, while employed by Canterbury Pipe Lines, Ltd., on a sewer contract in Philpotts road, and was remanded on bail to August 4 for sentence. Sergeant Marson said the accused volunteered, when the foreman was distributing the pay envelopes. to accept Green’s pay on his behalf. The foreman considered this would be in order as both men usually travelled to work together. When questioned by Green upon his discharge from hospital, the accused made excuses for not handing over the money, Sergeant Marson said. WARRANT ISSUED A warrant was issued for the arrest of Keith Alister Gough. Sergeant Marson said the police had failed to trace Gough in spite of extensive inquiries. He is charged with the theft of £2O 10s 3d by failing to account, on April 29, and two charges of obtaining credit by fraud involving £1 Ils 6d. THEFT OF RACE DIVIDENDS Eric Paul Francis. Cremen, aged 37, a cjeaner, asked by a Balclutha man if he would collect the dividends of £1 Ils 6d from two successful race tickets on April 23, was not seen again by the man, although inquiries revealed that he had collected the money from the Totalisator Agency Board, said Sergeant Byers. The accused, who later admitted to the police that he had spent the money on liquor, pleaded guilty to a charge of theft by failing to account for the dividends. He was remanded on bail to August 4 for sentence. POSSESSION OF FIREARMS Bernard Leon De Ganneh. aged 29 (Mr W. F. Brown), admitted charge* of having unlawfully in his possession two revolvers and an automatic pistol. He was fined £4 on each of the three charges. The defendant had kept the weapons without registering them, and must have well known that what he was doing was unlawful; the firearms could have been dang-

erous If they had got Into the possession of some other person, said the Magistrate when he imposed sentence. He ordered the confiscation of the weapons.

Mr Brown, producing testimonials to the defendant’s character, said he was only interested in the weapons as a hobby and had never used them. OBSCENE LANGUAGE

A man seated in a car in Colombo street on Sunday evening, June 12, had held his hand out with money in it and made an obscene remark to her, said Margaret Ruth Lilly, aged. 17J, a waitress. Mervin John Hammett, aged 42, an invalid pensioner and newspaper vendor (Mr H. W. Thompson), was fined £5 for using obscene language. He pleaded hot guilty. "But for your physical handicap and your financial position I would have considered sending you to prison,” said the Magistrate. “This is a very nasty offence, particularly when a young girl is concerned.” DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR Five minutes after midnight on May 22 the New Brighton police received a telephone message that a group of youths were arguing outside the pier, and it appeared likely that there would be a fight. The police wept there, but could find no sign of. the youths. A short time later a complaint was received from a man about bottles being thrown against the side of his house, said Sergeant Marson. Peter John Ford, aged 17, who has now joined the Navy, pleaded guilty to a charge of disorderly behaviour on May 22. "Because Ford was only one of the group of youths who has been charged and because he has joined the Navy and his conduct has been good, he will be discharged without conviction under section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act.’” said the Magistrate.

Ford took exception to a remark made by one of the youths, and there had been a challenge to a fight. Sergeant Marson said. * IDLE AND DISORDERLY Leslie Raymond Slmmiss, aged 18, was remanded in custody, to August 4 after he pleaded guilty to a charge of being idle and disorderly in that he had insufficient lawful means of support. The . Magistrate made an order that he be kept apart from other prisoners. At 8.15 p.m. a constable went to the Rex Theatre in Riccarton and interviewed Simmiss, said Sergeant S. Byers, He admitted that he had slept in St. Albans Park and that he had Is 8d which he had used to gain admission to the theatre. He had not been working and had nowhere to go. MOTOR-CYCLE CONVERSION When Eric George Morris came out .from the party he was attending in Madras street about 11.30 p.m. on May 28 he found that his motorcycle was He reported the matter to the police, and when he went back to the party he found that his machine had been returned in an undamaged condition, said Sergeant T. A. Marson. David Raymond Roderick Baxter, aged 18, a furnaceman. pleaded guilty to a charge of converting a motor-cycle valued at £l3O. The charge, was adjourned to August 4 for a probation officer’s report. Baxter admitted to the police that he was one of the two youths who took the motor-cycle for a ride. Sergeant . Marson said. Baxter had no previous convictions. LIQUOR ON TRAIN Two constables going through an excursion train from Christchurch to Arthur’s Pass saw a youth drinking a bottle of beer which he attempted to hide under a rug. When the rug was lifted a bottle of beer and a bottle of wine were discovered, Sergeant Marson said. Anthony John Howard, an assembler, pleaded guilty to a charge of having liquor on a train on June 2, and was fined £5. The Railways Department had had a considerable amount of trouble from ybung persons drinking on the excursion, and that was why the constables were looking for this type of offence, said Sergeant Marson.

LICENSING OFFENCES If the records of hotel licensees in the city were inspected for the last five years it might be difficult to find any licensee with as clean a record as that of the defendant, said Mr W. F. Brown, representing Darcy Armistice Uren. The defendant, licensee of the White Swan Hotel, was fined £lO when he pleaded guilty to selling liquor after hours on June 24. At 8.30 p.m. on June 24 Dennis Joseph Holland, aged IS. an airman, was seen to go to the door of the White Swan Hotel with’ an overnight bag. When the bag was examined by the police it was found to contain three half-gallon jars, said Sergeant Marson. Holland was fined £2 for purchasing liquor while under age. He P1 Mervyn BU Nsl Dalrymple, aged 22. a fitter* was fined £3 for aiding a person in the unlawful supply of liquor* &°o U nt• dSr 5 the Imperial Hotel after hours on June 24, Leslie Herman Peteri.a groundsel the hotel to t* Send who lived nearby. When It was pointed out to mm that he had an empty half-gallon jar bewgS being on licensed premise* after hour*.

David John Cummuskey, aged 17, was fined £3 on a charge of aiding a person in the unlawful supply of liquor on April 30. He was represented by Mr D. H. Stringer and pleaded not guilty. A similar charge against Raymond Robert Clarke, who was also represented by Mr Stringer and pleaded not guilty, was dismissed. After the evidence of the prosecution had been heard against Clarke, Mr Stringer submitted that there was no case to answer. LEFT RUBBISH ON ROAD Eric Langfor Welsh, a salesman, who did not appear, was fined £3 on a charge of leaving rubbish on a road at Belfast on April 15. A farmer gave evidence of seeing a man throwing rubbish on to the side of the road from a trailer. He said he took the number of the car and reported the matter to the police. The rubbish included hula hoops. KEPT ARMY PROPERTY Donald Edward Melrose, who pleaded not guilty, wqs convicted and fined £5 on a charge of failing to return Army property valued at £2 5s lid. He was ordered to make restitution of £2 5s lid. (Before Mr E. J. S. Crutchley, S.M.) REMANDED IN CUSTODY “It is not a question of how much you are going to be fined, but how! long you are going to spend in prison,” said the Magistrate, when Josef Repas. aged 23, a glass worker, told the Magistrate that he had not come to Court to answer questions, but to find out how much he was to be fined. On July 8, at 10.55 p.nu the defendant was seen by Traffic Officer J. C. Butterfield travelling at speed down the Main South road. He checked the defendant travelling at between 65 and 70 miles an hour. He caught the motor-cycle when the defendant stopped at a glass factory in Shands road. Repas, who had been disqualified from driving for three months on another charge, this year, pleaded guilty to driving while disqualified, driving at a dangerous speed, and exceeding 30 miles an hour with no safety helmet. He was convicted on all charges and fined £2 for having no safety helmet. On both the other charges the defendant was remanded in custody until July 29, awaiting the probation officer’s report. “A Court order has to be obeyed.” said the Magistrate, “when the Court forbids you to drive, it means what it says? CHARGE DISMISSED A charge of breach of a goods service licence, against New Zealand Metal Smelters, Ltd., on April 26. was dismissed under Section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act. OTHER TRAFFIC CHARGES On other traffic charges brought by the Transport Department, offenders were dealt with as follows: — * Driving without due care and attention: Donald McDonald, £5. Exceeding 30 miles an hour: Nelson Dreaver. £5; Arthur James Paine. £6. Operating an unregistered motor vehicle: George Clement Lidgett, £5 (warrant of htness, £3). Failing to stop for flashing red lights: Maurice John Leonard, £5. Breach of goods service licence: Caleott Industries, Ltd., £5. No light on bicycle: Geoffrey Owen Holden. £2 (no tail-light, 10s). No warrant of fitness: Gordon Allen Combe, £3; James lan Fogelburgh, £l.