MAGISTRATES COURT Woman Committed For Trial On Robbery Charge

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30411, 9 April 1964, Page 10

MAGISTRATES COURT Woman Committed For Trial On Robbery Charge

Nonna Theresa Travers, a domestic, aged 42, was committed to the Supreme Court for trial when she appeared in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a charge of robbing Nornjan Frederick Orchard of a wallet and £l5 in money on February 20. She pleaded not guilty after the taking of depositions. Messrs R. H. Petrie and W. H. Small, Justices of the Peace, were on the Bench. No prima facie case was found in respect of Frederick Ernest Sullivan, aged 28, a labourer (Mr L. H. Moore), jointly charged with Travers, and he was discharged. Raymond Harry Hills, aged 34, a workman (Mr M. G. L. Loughnan) jointly charged with Travers and Sullivan, had already pleaded guilty and was remanded in custody until today. Detective-Sergeant D. C. Lee prosecuted for the police. Nonnan Frederick Orchard, aged 51, unemployed, said in evidence he had met Travers, Hills and Sullivan in the New Albion Hotel just after 2 p.m. on February 20. At that time he had £l6 in three £5 notes and a £1 note in a wallet in his hip pocket. The witness said they then drove to the Caledonian Hotel. In the hotel Travers asked him for a loan of money. “I said 1 only had £1 and some change and gave her Bs. She asked me if that was all I had and I said It was.” The witness said he went to the toilet and transferred the £l5 from his wallet and hid it in his sock. “I just had an inclination to do so.” After a few drinks in the Caledonian Hotel they went for a drive. They stopped for a while at a house in Edgeware road then drove to a golf course near Bower avenue. “We sat down by some trees and had a drink. The next thing I knew I was on my knees in a dazed condition. I had been king-hit on the jaw but did not see who did it.” The witness said that when he came round Hills was

standing over him. Hills said he would bash him again. The witness said he remembered nothing more until he got home. He then found his money and wallet were missing. The next day he was admitted to hospital. He was unsteady on his feet and had double vision. He was discharged after about seven days. Mr Moore submitted that Sullivan was not present when the crime was committed. Mr Burn reserved his submissions on behalf of Travers. THEFT AS SERVANT John Edward Waite, aged 34, was committed for trial at the next sitting of the Supreme Court on a charge of theft as a servant of the Railways Department of two dozen tins of pineapple valued at £4 on January 6. He pleaded not guilty after depositions were taken. The accused was represented by Mr J. H. F. Macfarlane. Sergeant B. D. Read prosecuted for the Police. Bail was allowed. Clifford Thomas Fraser, inward goods supervisor at the Hornby warehouse of 1.G.A., said that six empty railway waggons and three full ones were standing in the warehouse siding on January 6. One contained cartons of pineapple tins. Unloading of the pineapple waggon began about 2.25 p.m., but only the canvas cover had been removed and the door lowered when a diesel electric engine came to take the empty waggons away. This meant that the full waggons had to be shifted also, the witness said. “I told the men to put the door up and the sheet over the waggon. I helped them to tie the ropes.” The shunting engine took all the waggons into the Hornby yard and returned with the three full ones about 10 minutes later. “I then noticed a carton I had stood on its end had gone,” said witness. Douglas Ronald Orange, manager of the warehouse, said he asked the three men who did the shunting if they had had a hand in what had happened. “All three denied having had anything to do with it.” Peter William Johnston, a former employee of the Railways Department, said he stole a carton of pineapple tins from a railway waggon in the Hornby yard on January 6. The contents were hidden in an engine tool locker and another employee, Mr Broughton, tore up the carton and put the pieces in an empty waggon. “The defendant was with me when the carton was taken from the waggon,” he said. “The engine driver took the engine down the Kempthorne Prosser siding and one of the others later told me they had hidden the fruit somewhere along the siding.” Charles Broughton, formerly an engine driver for the Railways Department, said he was sure Waite did not want to have anything to do

with the theft. “We were both forced into the situation, and because of that we were anxious to get rid of the stuff as quickly as possible.” Mr Macfarlane submitted the evidence clearly established that Waite had no part in the intention of the theft, and the charge was not supported. (Before Mr K. H. J. Headifen, S.M.) DANGEROUS SPEED While riding his motor-cycle in Blenheim road at 12.50 p.m. on January 11 he saw a TQ midget racing car in Middleton road, said Traffic Officer J. F. Pickett. He turned to stop the car but it accelerated rapidly away and reached a speed of 55 miles an hour before stopping near Riccarton road. Kevin James Baird (Mr G. W. Alexander), pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving at a dangerous speed. He was convicted and fined £4, and his driver’s licence was cancelled for one year. He was fined £3 for driving an unregistered vehicle and ordered to pay costs only for having no warrant of fitness. Baird pleaded guilty to these charges. Traffic Officer Pickett said Baird had no idea what speed he was doing. There was no other traffic on the road but there were some children in the area. The car was a wellconstructed vehicle for the race track. There were brakes only on the rear wheels, and they were operated by a hand lever. There was no gearbox, and the clutch, described as being either “in or out,” was also worked by hand. Baird said he was testing the car as drivers were not allowed to use the speedway to practise. The car had a top speed of about 60 miles an hour. It had since been sold. The Magistrate said if any child had been injured they could not have been compensated because Baird’s vehicle was not registered. He accepted that the car was in good mechanical condition. BREACH OF PROBATION “It is only your age which keeps you out of prison,” said the Magistrate when fining June Kathleen Johnstone, aged 18, £lO on a charge of committing a breach of probation on January 8. Johnstone pleaded guilty. A probation officer said Johnstone had been placed on probation when convicted of a charge of burglary. She had complied only spasmodically with the terms of probation. REMOVED TV SET Brian Pringle, aged 23, unemployed, pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary at Belfast on January 24. Detective-Sergeant Lee said Pringle entered a house and removed a television set valued at £lOO. Pringle later sold the set for £22. He was remanded in custody to today for sentence. REMANDED Clifford Frederick Warr, aged 20, unemployed, was remanded on bail to April 15 on a charge of unlawfully entering a motorcar on March 23. Raymond Harry Hills, aged 34, was remanded in custody to today on eight charges of false pretences. TRAFFIC CASES In traffic cases brought by the Transport Department, convictions were entered and fines imposed as follows: Exceeding 30 miles an hour: Ronald James Smart, £7; Barry Winston Jones. £6 (no driver’s licence, £2); Frances Cronin, £4; Joy Montgomery, £4; Donald Bertram Akins, £6: Neil William Curry, £4; George Benjamin, Tuaine, £4 and driver's licence cancelled for one month: Colin Frederick Falloon, £4; Edward Clifford Hanham, £4; Mildred Holden. £4; Neville Leslie Kelly, £5 and driver's licence cancelled for one month; Robert Charles Moore, £7; Albert Russell Prebble, £5; Patrick Joseph Schimanski, £4. Failing to stop at sign: John Gary Easterbrook, £4; George Findlay, £4; George Charles Boswell, £4: Anthony Robin Carr, £4: David Walter Duggan. £2: Ray Victor Kearney, £5 and disqualified from driving for one month; Stanley Steel, £4: Frank Allan Watts, £4. Careless driving: Mabel Winifred Witbrdck, £4; Petrus Johanns Bernaards. £10: Brian Henry Johnson, £B.

Using vehicle without reasonable consideration: Tony Robert Skilling, £5 and pro hibited from obtaining a driver’s licence for one year (no driver’s licence. £3; giving false information, £3). Exceeding axle weight: Bay liss Bros., Ltd.. £t; Blogg Bros., Ltd.. £6 (exceeding heavy traffic licence, £5). Carrying passenger on powercvcle: Terence Andrew Harper. £5. Using unregistered vehicle: Benjamin Donald Mackay, £S. No warrant of fitness: Derek John Parsonson, £1 10s (registration plates not affixed, £3: Emil Frederick Rosel, £6. Permitting unlicensed person to drive: Allan Clarence McKenzie, £5. ’ Failing to give wav: Colin Hugh McGilvray, £5; Margaret Mary Ellis. £4. Unable to stop vehicle: Kevin John Higgins, £5. Dangerous driving: Noel Henry Creamer, £lO and driver’s licence cancelled for one year. Failing to stop at lights: Jossie Ayleen Smart, £7. (Before Mr E. S. J. Crutchley. S.M.) FINED £« When a car overtook another car towing a caravan on a hill near Blue Slip, north of Kaikoura, on Boxing Day, it travelled about 120 feet on the incorrect side of double white lines, at a speed of approximately 50 miles an hour, said Traffic Officer V. R. Kingdon. Donald James Garland, aged 19, a carpenter's apprentice, pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving in a dangerous manner. The Magistrate said that although the accused had not acted prudently the charge of driving dangerously had not been established. Garland was convicted on an amended charge of passing over longitudinal lines. He pleaded guilty to this charge and was fined £C and disqualified 'from driving for six weeks CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Thomas lan McGlinchy, aged 20. a driverSorter, of exceeding 30 miles an our in Blenheim road on December 21 was dismissed. McGlinchy pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate said that as the traffic officer had only obtained an estimated speed, and had not made a check speed test of McGlinchy’s car, the evidence of the estimated speed alone was not sufficient to convict.