Magistrate’s Court YOUTH PLEADS GUILTY TO 16 CHARGES

Press, Volume XCIX, Issue 29308, 13 September 1960, Page 18

Magistrate’s Court YOUTH PLEADS GUILTY TO 16 CHARGES

The suspicions of Detective D. N. Stewart and Constable N. A. Galbraith, who were on a Criminal Investigation Branch patrol, were aroused by two youths who were seen in Waltham road in the early hours of August 29. The youths were stopped and as a result, one of them, Mervyn Anthony Rich, aged 17, an unemployed driver, pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including some joint ones, in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Rich, who was not represented by counsel, pleaded guilty to nine charges of counting-house breaking and theft, one of warehouse breaking with intent to commit a crime, four of shop-breaking and theft, one of shop-breaking with intent to-commit a crime, and one of car conversion. With Rich in the dock was John Sheldon Danielson, aged 19, an assembler, who pleaded guilty to joint charges of car conversion, two of shop-breaking and theft and one of shop-breaking with intent to commit a crime. Both accused were remanded in custody to September 19 by Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M., who made an order that they be kept apart from other prisoners. Rich had stolen cash to the value of £7O 8s and property, which had been recovered, valued at £662 3s 6d, said Sergeant T. A. Marson. Rich had caused damage amounting to £122, and restitution amounted to £lB9 17s Id. Danielson, in company with Rich, had stolen property valued at £653 of which only £3 had not been recovered, Sergeant Marson said. Cash amounting to Is lOd had been stolen by Danielson and he had caused damage valued at £122. Restitution of £2 10s lid was required. About 11 p.m. on July 20 Rich had been walking past the premises of the Walton Plumbing Company, Ltd. when he decided to break in, said Sergeant Marson. He forced open a small casement window and climbed through. He pulled the safe away frojn the wall in the office and took it into the workshop. Rich told the police that he had used a jemmy, cold chisel, screwdriver, tin snips and a steel mallet to remove the panel from the back of the safe. The sum of £6 10s 7d was taken from the safe. After climbing over a fence into the yard of W. Whittaker (1950), Ltd., at 259 Moorhouse avenue, Rich had removed louvres from a window, said Sergeant Marson. Rich had in his possession a jemmy, chisei, hammer, tin snips and a screwdriver. Rich then forced open the rear door after removing all the fuses from the main switchboard. He pushed the safe across the floor to the back door and with a length of rope pulled it into the yard. With the tools he cut the rivets off the back of the safe and removed £24 2s 3d which he had since spent. Damage to the safe and door amounted to £35. When Rich was stopped by the police in Waltham road he was found in possession of a canvas money bag which contained £3 18s when it was stolen from the office of Motor Assemblies premises at 39 Ensors road, which he had entered earlier on the previous evening. Both accused had previous convictions, said Sergeant Marson. Rich had claimed that he had committed the offences because he was short of money. BAIL REFUSED After consenting to hear an application by Mr B. J. Drake in chambers for bail for Terence McDonald, aged 19, a carpet worker, who was charged with the theft of £5OOO in notes from the Bank of New South Wales, Hereford street, on August 23, the Magistrate refused the application , and remanded McDonald in custody to September 19. Asking for the remand. Sergeant Marson said bail was opposed by the police. Mr Drake then said he wished to make submissions which were better mentioned in chambers than in open court.

The Magistrate said he was disinclined to take the application in chambers unless there were factors which might be prejudicial to the accused. He asked whether this was the case. Mr Drake:' I don’t even wish to answer that question. The Magistrate said he was endeavouring to find whether there was anything perjudicial so that he could decide whether to consider the application in chambers or not. “I don’t wish it to be reported but mere certainly are matters whicn can be prejudicial to him,” Mr Drake said. DRIVER DISTRACTED His girl friend in the front seat of the car had distracted his attention David March, a 25-year,-old factory hand, told the police after he had failed to stop after being involved in a collision in Aorangi road, said Sergeant Marson. This moment’s distraction cost Marsh a total of £29 10s in fines and costs. Marsh was fined £lO for driving without due care and attention, £lO for failing to stop after' an accident and his driver’s licence was suspended for three months, and £5 for failing to stop after an accident to ascertain if anyone was injured. He pleaded guilty tc all three charges. About 7.50 p.m. on Saturday, June 25, Marsh was driving north-east along Aorangi road when he struck the side of a parked car and struck the motorist, who was standing beside the driver’s door, Sergeant Marson said. After the accident Marsh drove through a compulsory stop at the corner of Aorangi and Wairakei roads without stopping. He was later halted in Harris crescent about a mile from the accident by a motorist who had seen the collision and had given chase. HOUSE-BREAKING Submissions that William David Knapp, aged 40, had not been the ringleader in a series of housebreaking offences but “had been presented with the opportunities and told which houses were vacant and could be broken into,” were made by his counsel, Mr J. N. Matson. Knapp, who pleaded guilty to six charges of theft from dwellings, five of them jointly with Bruce Edward Lucinsky, was remanded in custody to September 15 for sentence. Lucinsky (Mr B. J. Drake) was remanded on bail to September 19 on the five joint charges of theft from dwellings and a further charge of receiving goods valued at £4B ss. Sergeant Marson said police, acting under a search warrant, found a considerable quantity of goods at Lucinsky’s home which he admitted was stolen property left there by Knapp. Knapp was later arrested, and pointed out to police the houses which he and his companion had entered. Property valued at £143 had been taken from the premises, £57 worth of which was later recovered. Mr Matson said the background to Knapp’s offences was his excessive drinking, which had become a disease with him. REMANDED On two charges of driving while under the influence of liquor in Barbadoes street and of driving while under the influence of liquor on September 10, Thomas Tutanehai Soloman, aged 22 was remanded to September 19. He was granted bail at £lOO with one surety of £lOO and was ordered to report daily to the police. William James Hunt, aged 47, was remanded to September 19 on a charge of driving while under the influence of liquor on September 9. He was granted bail at £5O with one surety of £5O. Raymond Claude Machirus, aged 52, was remanded on bail to September 19 on a charge of driving while under the influence of liquor in Riccarton road on September 9. On a charge of breaking and

entering a shop owned by Matthew Thomas at 111 Manchester street on August 28, Kenneth Hayward was remanded on bail to September 19. George Thomas Cox, aged 72. was remanded on bail to September 19 on a charge of driving while trader the influence of liquor in Fendalton road on September 9. Graham Joshua Finnie, aged 39, was remanded on bail to September 19 on a charge of driving while under the influence of liquor on September 3. (Before Mr A. P. Blair, S.M.) THREE MONTHS’ GAOL Saying that the thefts from his fellow workmates were of a mean nature, the Magistrate sentenced Brian Meadows, aged 23, to three months’ imprisonment on each of three charges of theft, of a total value of £2 4s 7d. The terms are to be served concurrently. Mr B. J. Drake, counsel for Meadows, who was appearing for sentence, said that Meadows needed help rather than punishment. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Noel William Main, aged 30, a salesman, of driving while under the influence of liquor in Ferry road on August 27 was dismissed. "The evidence of the two traffic officers, two constables and a sergeant was that Main was under the influence, but because of the opinion of the police doctor and the seriousness of the charge, I am obliged to give the defendant the benefit of the doubt,” said the Magistrate. “I do not have much doubt that Main was affected by liquor at the material time but I have considerable doubt as to whether he was capable of driving,” said the Magistrate. JURISDICTION DECLINED Declining summary jurisdiction, the Magistrate committed Harold Frederick Maunder, aged 62 (Mr J. G. Leggat) to the Supreme Court for sentence on six charges of indecent assault on males between April 18 and July 16. Maunder was remanded to September 16. APPLICATION DECLINED An application by Terrence Bernard McLaughlin, aged 19, to remain 'in New Zealand was declined by the Magistrate. On September 6, McLaughlin was convicted and fined £25 on a charge of ship desertion at Bluff on June 6 from the vessel Troutpool. He was also ordered to be deported.