MAGISTRATE’S COURT Girl Sentenced To Borstal For Theft Of Wallet

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30348, 25 January 1964, Page 12

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Girl Sentenced To Borstal For Theft Of Wallet

“You have a shockingly bad moral record for a girl of 18,” Mr K. H. J. Headifen, S.M., told Rita Gorringe, aged 18, when she appeared in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday for sentence on a charge of theft of a wallet and contents from a United States serviceman on January 6. Gorringe (Mr L. M. O’Reilly), was sentenced to Borstal training. Gorringe had an unfortunate family background, said Mr O’Reilly. Her mother died when she was nine and her father had endeavoured to bring up her and the rest of the family. The Magistrate said the only way Gorringe could be saved from herself was for her to get some institutional training. GAOL AND PROBATION Three months’ gaol, to be followed by one year on probation was imposed on Valerie Muriel Hesp, aged 21 (Mr L- M. O’Reilly) when she appeared for sentence on a charge of receiving stolen property on January 6. Mr O’Reilly said Hesp had married in 1960, had three children, and five days after ’ the last child was born her husband deserted her with a 15-year-old girl. She had no previous conviction for dis-

honesty. ONE YEAR’S GAOL Twelve months’ gaol was imposed on Samuel Te Waara Tclieriri, aged 20, when he appeared for sentence on a charge of unlawfully taking a car on January 18. The Magistrate said it was Toheriri’s third similar offence and he had been placed on probataion and sentenced to Borstal. “FURTHER CHANCE” Because of his age he would be given a further chance, the Magistrate told Benjamin Alfred Aubrey, aged 18, when he appeared for sentence on a charge of unlawfully taking a car on January 18. He was sentenced to Borstal training. On a charge of committing a breach of probation at Hamilton between December 20 and January 8, to which he pleaded guilty, Aubrey was convicted and discharged. NO SUPPRESSION “People should give consideration to the effects of the publication of their names before they commit these offences and not afterwards. I do not think that it is in the public interest that there should be suppression of name in this case,” said the Magistrate, in fining Roger Keith Lethaby £l5 for indecently assaulting a girl aged 14J years. Appearing for Lethaby, a 23-year-old carpenter, Mr M. J. Glue urged that his name should be suppressed because of the adverse effect of the publicity upon his family. In imposing the fine and refusing suppression, the Magistrate said that he was satisfied that Lethaby had made the first approaches to fire girl. ROGUE AND VAGABOND Thomas Shearer, aged 42, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment for being a rogue and a vagabond. The Magistrate told Shearer that the probation officer’s report clearly indicated that he just refused to do any work. The man replied that he did not want to work in case it caused a breakdown. “If you desire to stay in prison for the rest of your life, I think we can assist you,” said the Magistrate. THEFT AS A SERVANT Carole May Phillips, aged 19, was fined £lO when she pleaded guilty to theft as a servant. Senior-Sergeant G. M. Cleary told the Magistrate that Phillips had taken £2 10s from the till of a shop where she worked, and placed it inside a shoe. Phillips made an unsuccessful application for the suppression of her name.

UNLAWFUL INTERCOURSE Michael Joseph Gerard Lawson, aged 17, was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within six months on a charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged 15 years in Christchurch on October 14. For Lawson, Mr R. L. Kerr said his client intended to marry the girl and had already assumed many of the responsibilities of a husband and father towards the girl and the child she was bearing. He had purchased an engagement ring and had made a payment of £4O to the girl’s father towards her upkeep. ATTEMPTED BURGLARY In the last two years Barry Thomas Jack had had Borstal training, fines and probation for a variety of offences, and these hart not been of any benefit t» him, said the Magistrate U» sentencing Jack to three months’ imprisonment for attempted burglary at Christchurch on January 17. Mr R. G. Blunt appeared for Jack. i PROBATION FOR BURGLARY

Sonny Temete Smith, aged 18, was placed on probation for 18 months when he appeared for sentence on a charge of burglary on January 18. He was ordered to live and work where directed by the probation officer and to pay £lO towards the cost of the prosecution. PLEA WITHDAWN Leo Keith Swann, aged 21, was allowed to withdraw a plea of guilty he made last week to a charge of assaulting a female on January 18 and was remanded on bail to February 6. ' When Swann appeared for sentence yesterday he said he had pleaded guilty to knocking the complainant’s spectacles off, not to kicking herWILFUL TRESPASS Charged with wilfully trespassing in the Tivoli Theatre on January 23, John Edward Ware, aged 17, a workman, was fined £l5. He pleaded guilty to the charge. Ware refused to leave the Tivoli Theatre at 8.20 p.m. when requested to do so by the doorman, said SeniorSergeant Cleary. Ware had nothing to say. STOLE ROCKS Pleading guilty to a charge of stealing rocks, valued at 10s, from the ■ Christchurch City Council, Graham Edward Pluck, a commercial cleaner, was fined £3. REMANDED Shirley Ruth ’. Phillips, aged 22, charged with the theft of a skirt worth £5 at Wellington on November 22, was remanded on bail to January 30 Barry Thomas Jack, aged 21, was remanded on bail to January 30 on charges of resisting a constable and obstructing the footpath on January 23. Jack pleaded guilty to both charges. James Alfred Sparks, aged 37 charged with assaulting Margaret Sparks yesterday, was remanded on bail to January 30 Sparks pleaded not guilty Maxwell John Blade, a soldier, represented by Mr W. A. Wilson, was remanded in the custody of the Army until January 30 on a charge of false pretences in Auckland on October 15. Neil Frederick Baker, aged 23 (Mr R. L. Kerr, was remanded to January 30 on a charge of robbing Warwick Daley of £7 at Christchurch on December 4. Michael Vincent Sullivan, aged 18 (Mr M. G. L. Loughnan), was remanded on bail to January 30 on charges of obstructing the footpath and possessing illegal lottery tickets on January 23. William Douglas Isherw'ood, aged 19, was remanded on bail until January 30 on charges of wilful damage and assaulting a constable. PARKING OFFENCE Norman Cornelius Williams, a taxi-driver, was fined £1 for stopping in Fitzgerald avenue on October 20 without reasonable consideration for other users of the road. He pleaded not guilty. Senior-Sergeant Cleary said that Williams had stopped his taxi Bft 6in out from the kerb, and had been struck from behind by other traffic. Williams, W’ho was represented by Mr A. K. Archer,

said that he had been looking for 150 Fitzgerald avenue and had stopped to call his office on the radio-telephone. OTHER TRAFFIC CASES In other traffic cases brought by the police, convictions were entered and fines imposed as follows: Careless use: Douglas Merole Fake, £5; Graham Ross Baldwin, £3 (carrying pillion passenger while restricted, £1; learner’s licence label not affixed, £1); Wallace Thomas Wood, £3; William Francis O’Leary, £5. Driving without reasonable consideration: Alfred Heald, £3. Failing to give way at sign: Sidney Ernest Chapple, £5. Dangerous speed: Hoani Leonard Lawson, £8 and disqualified from obtaining a driver’s licence for one year (no driver’s licence, £5). Failing to give way: Kenneth James Carpenter, £4; Eojn Spence Young, £5. Spence Young, £5; Kenneth Brian Hamlin, £5. Failing to supply information: John Grieg Miller, £8 (allowing unauthorised person to drive, £5). Supplying false information: Wayne John Young, £5 (no front light on cycle, £1: no No driver’s licence: Adrianus Noordanus £3; Maxwin Eric Russell, £3 (no warrant of fitness, £2). No warrant of fitness: Walter Henry Kerr, £3. (Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.) FAILED TO GIVE WAY

Graham Ernest Gurden (Mr M. F. Hobbs), aged 22, a motor mechanic, was convicted and fined £5 on a charge of failing to give way. Sergeant C. D. McMeeking said the charge arose from a collision between cars driven by Gurden and a man Peters, at the corner of Latimer square and Worcester street on the evening of October 10. Peters' ear had struck Gurden's from the right. Gurden in evidence said he had seen the car on his right but considered that he had plenty of time to get across. The Magistrate commented that such cases were not to be determined on split-second decisions as to who was on the intersection first. FINED £lO

Douglas William McArthur (Mr R. B. Shand) was fined £lO for driving at a dangerous speed in Christchurch on December 8. McArthur pleaded guilty. Russell Spencer Smith (Mr W. A. Wilson), was fined £lO on a charge of driving without reasonable consideration in Colombo street on October 11. A charge of careless driving was dismissed. Smith pleaded not guilty to both charges. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge of careless driving in Cambridge terrace on November 11 against Rohan David Hook, aged 18 (Mr W. A. Wilson), was dismissed. Hook pleaded not guilty. He was fined £7 10s on a charge of altering a driver’s licence, £2 for having no warrant of fitness, and £2 for having no driver’s licence. He pleaded guilty to these charges. (Before Mr A. P. Blair, S.M.) DANGEROUS DRIVING On a charge of driving in a dangerous manner Frederick Allen Reid (Mr A. Hearn) was lined £l2 lus. His licence was cancelled lor one year and endorsed for three years. On a charge of having no warrant of fitness, to which he pleaded guilty, h e was convicted and discharged. FAILED TO STOP Charles Alexander Cooke, aged 23, an airman (Mr B. J. Drake) was fined £2O on a charge of failing to stop after an accident and his . licence was suspended for three months and endorsed for three years. On a charge of careiess use of a motor vehicle ano tailing to ascertain if any person was injured alter an accident he was convicted and discharged. He pleaded guilty to all charges. Sergeant B. D. Read said Cooke railed to give way at the intersection of Barrington street and Lincoln road on the evening of November 2, 1963. He did not stop after the accident. DISMISSED Clifford William Wilson, an engineer (Mr B. J. Drake) pleaded not guilty to a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle on November 17, 1963. The charge was dismissed. DAMAGED THEATRE SEAT On a charge of wilful damage of a theatre seat to the value of £2, Wayne Frederick Joseph Hillgrove, aged 18, a labourer (Mr M. J. Glue) was fined £4 and ordered to make restitution of £2 and pay £4 witnesses expenses. Alter nearmg evidence the Magistrate said he was satisfied the defendant had damaged the seat.

Telegraph Delay.— Advice has been received by th» chief postmaster at Christchurch (Mr C. J. C. Simpson) that telegraph traffic to and from Tanganyika is subject to delays.