MAGISTRATES COURT False-Pretence Charges Admitted

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30682, 23 February 1965, Page 11

MAGISTRATES CO URT False-Pretence Charges Admitted

Clive lan Harris, aged 23,, a workman (Mr S. G. Erber),! was convicted and remanded 1 on bail to February 26 fori sentence by Mr E. S. J. Crutchley, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday on 14 charges of false pretences involving goods and monev of a total value of £135 14s 10d. He pleaded guilty. The offences were committed at Christchurch, Whataroa, Arahura, St. Andrews,! Kaikoura, Nelson, Springfield,; Jacksons and Hari Hari between September 13.1963, and December 1, 1963. Eleven charges related to the obtaining of petrol and money. The remaining three involved board and lodging, whitebait, and scrap metal. Detective Sergeant E. J. Stackhouse said that the accused opened a bank account in Christchurch on July 2, 1963. under the name of Metal Traders, Ltd. By September 13, 1963, there was a balance of 13s in the account. Between then and December 1 he issued 14 valueless cheques. On that date he left for Australia. On February 13 he returned to New Zealand and gave himself up to the police. He said he had been in financial difficulties. He had issued the cheques to obtain money to start himself off in Australia. SIX WEEKS’ GAOL Six weeks’ imprisonment was imposed on Graeme Charles Talbot, aged 23, a labourer (Mr G. T. Mahon), when he appeared for sentence on a charge of driving while disqualified in Cathedral square on November 14. His period of disqualification was extended by three years. He had previously pleaded guilty and been convicted of the offence. ASSAULT

“The motorist was prepared to help you, and you had no right to behave in this manner. If you get intoxicated that is no excuse,” the Magistrate said when fining Peter Albert Wright aged 20, £lO on a charge of assaulting Trevor James Weddell. Wright pleaded guilty. Detective Sergeant Stacks house said that at 6.55 on Saturday, Weddell was driving along Bridge street when Wright stepped on to the road and signalled him to stop. Wright asked Weddell to take

him tb get petrol, and Weddell agreed. Wright then asked him to take a friend along as well, but as both men smelt of drink Weddell refused. As Weddell drove off Wright struck him through the window of the vehicle.

Mr S. G. Erber, for the accused, said that although Wright had a formidable list of convictions this was his first for assault. Because one of Wright’s children had died he was very upset, and had been drinking. Wright was now working. It was not a serious assault. FINED £l5 Robert Mark Brown, aged 19, a workman (Mr S. G. Erber), was convicted and fined £l5 on a charge of assault on February 13. He pleaded guilty. Mr Erber said that the accused was of good character and neither smoked nor drank. It was most unlikely he would offend again. The accused had been going with the complainant for about six months and they had considered marriage. The offence occurred when [the complainant visited him unexpectedly, “drunk and dressed and painted like a 1 harlot.”

CHARGE ADMITTED William David Chappell, aged 47, was remanded on bail to February 28 on a charge of being idle and disorderly in that he had insufficient lawful means of support on Februarj’ 19. He pleaded guilty. Detective-Sergeant Stackhouse said that a constable stopped Chappell in Manchester street at 7.30 a.m. because of his appearance. The accused said he had no money or job. He had been tobacco picking in Nelson, and on one occasion had slept in an open concrete drain pipe. DEALER'S BREACH Royden George Mardon, a second-hand dealer, was fined £5 on a charge of a breach of the Second-hand Dealers’ Act by acquiring a radio which was not retained for more than a month before it was sold. He pleaded guilty. Detective-Sergeant Stackhouse said that a transistor radio, similar to one which had been stolen, was sold to the defendant. He sold it before the required period. It was later found that the radio was not the one which had been stolen. Mardon said that this was the first time this had happened in about 60,000 transactions. INDECENT ASSAULT Arthur Don Davies, aged 40, a clerk (Mr C. B. Atkinson), was convicted and remanded under section 37 of the Mental Health Act for observation until

March 22, on four charges of indecent assault on a male between September 1 and December 18. He pleaded guilty. He was remanded to the same date on a charge of obscene exposure on January 7, to which he had previously pleaded guilty. FINED £lO Kevin Alexander Thomas Buckley, aged 24, a lineman, was fined £lO on a charge of aiding minors to procure liquor.' Detective-Sergeant Stackhouse said that on the evening of December 19 six boys, aged 13 to 16, were found drinking in Marine parade. They had two full half-gallon flagons, one part flagon, and one empty flagon. Buckley admitted that one of the boys, aged 16, whom he knew, had telephoned him at his home and asked him to get the liquor. Buckley bought four flagons for him. LIQUOR NEAR DANCE The following were fined £5 on charges of having liquor near the Surf City dance at South Brighton: Robin James Roper, aged 18, a labourer: Russell Francis Burney, aged 19, an apprentice carpenter: and David Arthur Morris, aged 18. an apprentice plasterer. Walter Travis Brown, aged 35, a fencer, and Allan Edward Burgess, aged 36, a carrier, were each fined £5 on a charge of drinking liquor at Kaituna when a dance was being held. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Graeme Cook, aged 26, a salesman, of driving under the influence of drink or drugs in Antigua street on January 24 was dismissed for want of prosecution. Detective-Sergeant Stackhouse said that the only witness who could prove the alleged offence was an Australian tourist and was not available.

DISORDERLY On a charge of disorderly behaviour in Hereford street on February 21, Evan Finlay Christopher Hardman, aged 17, a workman, was convicted and fined £lO. He .pleaded guilty. FIREARM OFFENCES Kenneth Albert Cosgrove, aged 19, a clicker, was fined £1 10s on a charge of selling a firearm without a permit, and Grant Michael Gatenby, aged 18, a turner, was fined £1 10s for procuring a firearm without a permit. LIQUOR AFTER HOURS Owen Neil Carey, unemployed, was fined £1 10s on a charge of nrocuring liquor after hours in Dunedin on December 19. MINORS IN HOTELS Clifford Richard Jones, aged 18, a workman, and Keith William Yeggett, aged 20, an apnrentlce carpenter, were each fined £5 on charges of being found In a hotel when a minor. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Frances Maria Kennedy, licensee of the Central Hotel, of selling liquor to a minor on August 20 last was dismissed. She pleaded not guilty, and was represented by Mr R. J. de Goldi. Sergeant V. F. Townshend said that the case had been adjourned for a long time because a decision was awaited from the Court of Appeal. REMANDED Keith Frank Thompson, aged 28, a driver (Mr J. H. Gebbie), was remanded on bail to March 1 on three charges of false pretences at Invercargill and Lumsden in June, and three charges of obtaining credit by fraud at Invercargill and Clinton in June. Versus John Perkovic, aged 35. unemployed, was remanded on ball to March 8 on a charge of theft of a camera valued at £156 on June 15.

Alfred Douglas Butson, aged 37, a truck driver, pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of drink or drugs in Hills road on February 20, and was remanded on bail to February 25. William Storey Bland, aged 39, a watersider, was remanded on bail to March 1 on a charge of assault. (Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.) STOWAWAY FINED Samuel David Haveron, aged 42, a labourer (Mr M. J. Glue), pleaded not guilty to a charge of attempting to travel or conceal himself aboard the Port Invercargill at Napier on December 23 without first paying his fare, and with the intention to avoid payment of it. Haveron was convicted and fined £2O, of which £l6 is to go to the shipping line concerned. Mr J. H. Milligan prosecuted for the Port Line Shipping Company.

Constable N. F. Smith, of Lyttelton, said that on February 17 he took custody of Haveron from the master of the Hororata.

Haveron said that he spent the week before Christmas drinking with men off the Port Invercargill. One suggested that he return to England. and stow away on the Port Invercargill. On December 23, one of the seamen took his luggage on board, and then returned to the drinking party and informed Haveron of this. Haveron said he then got very drunk. He could vaguely remember going aboard the Port Invercargill. When he recovered, the ship was at sea.

He reported to the master and offered to work his passage to England. He was put on mess duty, but was disembarked at Panama, where he spent three weeks in prison waiting fqr a ship to return him to New- Zealand.

Mr Glue said that Haveron. by spending three weeks In the Panamanian prison, had been punished many times already. The Magistrate said he was quite sure that Haveron intended to stow away. THREAT TO KILL "It is a case where a man loses his temper, acts rashly, and now has cause to regret it,’’ Mr S. G. Erber said when Thomas Dupree Orpwood, aged 29, a driver, appeared for sentence on a charge of threatening to kill. Orpwood was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within 12 months, with special conditions that he take out a prohibition order and has psychiatric treatment. JOINT CHARGES To a joint charge of theft of a cycle valued at £B, the property of Joseph William Halvorsen, between January 4 and January 22, 1964. and an alternative charge of receiving the cycle knowing it to be dishonestly obtained, Robert Drinkwater, aged 51, a truck driver, and Dennis Murray Drinkwater, aged 18, a labourer, pleaded not guilty. Mr M. J. Glue appeared for both accused.

Both charges against Robert Drinkwater were dismissed, and the charge of theft against Dennis Drinkwater was dismissed. On the other charge, Dennis Drinkwater was convicted and fined £l5, and was ordered to make restitution of £B.

CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Janis Rekens, aged 47, a social security beneficiary (Mr A. H. France), of being idle and disorderly in that he had insufficient lawful means of support on February 3, was dismissed. Rekens had been remanded from February 8 to produce evidence that he was in employment. (Before Mr J. R. Kinder, S.M.) CLAIM FOR £521 The hearing of a civil claim by the New Zealand Fruit Growers’ Federation, Ltd. (Mr L. M. O’Reilly) for £521 Is lOd against I. L. Williams, a tomato grower, of Tlmaru (Mr J. F. Burn), was adjourned until today.

The claim Is for the price of horticultural glass supplied to the defendant by the federation in April, 1962.

The defendant denied the debt. He said the glass supplied by the federation was not English glass as ordered. It was Japanese, and of inferior quality. It was no use to him, and had caused considerable damage to his crop.