Magistrate’s Court Thirteen Months’ Imprisonment On Eleven Charges

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30302, 30 November 1963, Page 22

Magistrate’s Court Thirteen Months’ Imprisonment On Eleven Charges

Thirteen months’ imprisonment was imposed on Donald Walter Campbell McDonald, aged 20, a showman, when he appeared before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday on two charges of burglary, four of theft, three of false pretences, one of obtaining credit by fraud, and one of breach of probation. McDonald pleaded guilty to all charges. McDonald broke his probation order at Papakura on June 13, said Sergeant B. D. Read. He travelled to Dunedin, Timaru, Christchurch, and Blenheim, changing cheques from a stolen chequebook, breaking into houses, and stealing. When found by the police, McDonald was working as a showman at Addington said Sergeant Read. A total of £44 10s was involved in the offences. YEAR’S GAOL One year’s gaol, to be served concurrently with a period of 18 months’ imprisonment at present being served, was imposed on Brian William Giles, aged 35, when he pleaded guilty to two charges oi burglary. Giles broke into a house at Kaitangata while the owner was away between July 1 and 31 and stole £240 worth of property, said Sergeant Read. Giles’s house was searched, and £5l worth of property was recovered. Between June 30 and July 27 Giles broke into a holiday home at a camping ground near Balclutha. and stole two bedspreads worth £5. They were recovered in an unuseable condition. Giles was at present serving a sentence of 18 months’ imprisonment for 21 charges of burglary. The present offences were two of the same series, said Sergeant Read. FALSE STATEMENT Allegations that she had been assaulted by an Islands boy holding a knife to her throat and demanding rent money were made to the police by Patricia Melrose, aged 51, said Sergeant V. F. Townshend. Melrose pleaded guilty to a charge of making a false statement to the police on October 18. She was convicted and fined £lO. Melrose claimed she received a broken wrist as a result of the assault, but she most probably broke it while in a drunken state, said Sergeant Townshend. "She has 13 previous convictions—drink is her problem,” he said. “I made that statement at the time because I believed that was what happened,” said Melrose. RAN LOTTERY

As a result of reports of barroom lotteries in the New Zealander Hotel, a constable visited the hotel and bought tickets for a prize of a bottle of rum, Sergeant Townshend said, when the licensee, Helmut Masure. was charged under the Sale of Liquor Act with being involved in the lottery, and the bar manager, Cecil Block, was charged under the Gaming Act with establishing a lottery. Both pleaded guilty through Mr R. L. Kerr. There had been no intention of making a profit on the lottery, said Mr Kerr. The lottery was quite spontaneous, no tickets were Issued, and it was run at the request of customers Masure was fined £l5, and Block £lO. WARRANT ISSUED A bench warrant was issued for the arrest of Brian James Thomas, aged 28, who failed to appear on charges of taking a bicycle on May 9 and peering into a house on the same date. Inquiries had failed to locate Thomas since the alleged offences, said Sergeant Townshend. CAR CONVERSION Pleading guilty to three charges of unlawfully taking cars. Richard Gary Wade, aged 18. a freezing worker, was remanded to the Sunnyside Hospital to December 20 for observation. Sergeant Read said that one of the converted cars was recovered damaged to the extent of £5O. The other two were recovered undamaged. Wade was accompanied in tire offences by another youth who was to appear in another court. Wade had been living in various boarding-houses, and his parents were concerned about his mental condition, said Sergeant Read. IDLE AND DISORDERLY Recognising the accused as a girl who had been frequenting the wharf area at Lyttelton for some days, a constable arrested Lynette Anne Dephoff, aged IS, when he saw her standing in the door of a hotel, said Sergeant Read. Dephoff pleaded guilty to a charge of being idle and disorderly at Lyttelton on November 28, in that she had insufficient lawful means of sup-

port She was remanded in custody to December 6 for sentence. CHARGE DENIED Convicted on a charge of attempting to have unlawful sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old girl on October 26. George Ralna Waaka, aged 28. a workman, was remanded on bail to Monday for sentence. Waaka (Mr R. L. Kerr) pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate said he was impressed by the complainant's apparent honesty. Because of this and Waaka’s own admissions to the police he had no alternative but to convict. STOLE BICYCLE After painting a bicycle grey and white and fitting new mudguards. Robert Kirk Prince, aged 19, a grocer’s assistant, rode the bicycle to work, said Sergeant Read. Prinee pleaded guilty to theft of a bicycle, on November 18 and was remanded on bail to December 6 for sentence. SHOPLIFTING Pleading guilty to a charge of stealing groceries to the value of 8s 6d from W’oolworths (N.Z.). Ltd., Sydenham, on November 8. a woman, whose name was suppressed (Mr D. W. Russell), was remanded on ball to December 6 for sentence. Sergeant Read said the woman left the shop without paying for goods. She had no explanation to offer, and had £3 in her possession at the time of the offence. LIQUOR CHARGES Pleading guilty through Mr K. A. Gough to a charge that, being a minor, he drank liquor in a public place on October 26, Michael Woodhouse Lee, aged 17. a workman, was fined £3. On a similar charge Alex Takulra. aged 20, was fined £3. He did not appear. REMANDED On 21 charges of false pretences Neil James Munro, aged 49. was remanded In custody to December 8. He elected trial by jury on 20 of the charges. Electing trial by jury on a charge of robbing Peter Christopher and another of £39 17s on November 10, Hoani Pitama. aged 19, a freezing worker (Mr W. A. Wilson), was remanded on bail to January 29. Pleading gulltv to stealing 10 bottles of motor oil. valued at £1 15s 6d. Kenneth James Melville. aged 18 (Mr M. J. Glue), was remanded on bail to December 6 for sentence. Henry Hokiora Dewes, aged 22. was remanded in custody to December 6 on a charge of unlawfully entering a room at Hanmer Lodge on November 16. Robert Gourley, aged 28, was remanded in custody to December 6 on a charge of false pretences on November 14. (Before Mr W. M. Willis, S.M.) FINED £5 Although the accused had shown commendable wisdom in deciding not to drive the car when drunk, his Intoxication did not excuse his refusal to obey the police, said the Magistrate when he fined George Henry Johnson aged 56. a sign writer (Mr A. Hearn). £5 for failing to give up his keys when found in charge of a car in King street on November 4 while under the influence of drink or drugs. Johnson pleaded not guilty. Constable C. W. Thompson said that about 6.15 p.m. on November 4 he was in a patrol car which stopped in King street in front of an unlighted car parked on the north side. The accused was slumped over the wheel, when he spoke to the accused he got only mumbled answers. The accused was asked twice to give up the car keys, but refused loudly.

Mr Hearn said the accused had obviously been drunk. He was muddled and confused and could not properly grasp the situation. He could not have been expected to exercise the usual common sense when asked to give up his keys and probably did not comprehend the demand. Johnson said he had been sleeping and was woken by a light shining through the window. He could not speak properly but had intended giving up the keys. He could not recollect his actions. LIQUOR CHARGES A fine of £5 was imposed on Alec Brodie Arps, aged 46. a part-time barman, for supplying liquor to a person under 21 at Christchurch on September 7, and on William Trevor Gifford, aged 52. as manager of the Belfast Hotel, where the offence was committed. Both pleaded not guilty, and were represented by Mr R. E. Wylie. lan Thomas Bradford, aged 16. a schoolboy, said that on Saturday, September 7. he and another youth were served with beer in the Belfast Hotel about 5 p.m. His father found out that evening, and rang the police. About a week later, in the company of the police, he identified Arps as the barman who served him. Arps denied having seen the boy. He said there were about 70 persons at his end of the bar. He did not always have

time to look properly at persons he was serving, and it was possible he unwittingly served Bradford. (Before Mr E. S. J. Cnitchley, S.M.) DROVE DANGEROUSLY A chase between two cars in the St. Albans area on October 9 resulted in the appearance of Peter Warren Wilton, aged 21, an electrician, on a charge of driving in a dangerous manner. There was considerable conflict in evidence between Wtlson end the driver and occupants of the other car, the Magistrate said. However, it was clear that Wilson had driven dangerously when he stayed alongside the other car for a considerable distance. Wilson was convicted and fined £7 10s. and his driving licence was cancelled tor a year. Permission was given for him to obtain a licence to drive his firm's vehicle in working hours. lan Stuart Farquhar, aged 21. an electrician, pleaded guilty to a charge of wilful damage, worth £3, when he pushed a length of pipe through the window of the other car while both were moving alongside each other. The same penalties. with a provision to drive his firm’s vehicle, were imposed as on Wilson. Further inquiries would be made Into the driving of the other ear. said Sergeant Townshend. PROBATION lan Grant Martell, aged 22. a workman, was placed on probation for two years when he pleaded guilty to stealing an overnight bag and a rug valued at £lO on May 25 at Wellington. Restitution of £lO and payment of £lO towards the cost of prosecution were ordered. FINED £2O Victor Hortbn Wilson, aged 26, a market gardener (Mr L. H. Moore), was fined £2O and disqualified from holding driver’s licence for two years for dangerous driving In Papanui road on June 9, and £lO for failing to stop when signalled by a traffic officer. The Magistrate heard evidence on Tuesday and Wednesday. Wilson had pleaded not guilty, claiming he had been at his sister's house at the time of the offence, about 1 a m. The Magistrate said he did not accept this, as Wilson’s licence had been produced to the officers, both of whom had seen the driver and identified him as the defendant.