MAGISTRATE’S COURT Posed As American To Obtain Credit

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31012, 18 March 1966, Page 16

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Posed As American To Obtain Credit

A man who posed as an American because he thought he would get credit more readily claimed he was doing a world tour in his yacht, Mr H. J. Evans, S.M., was told in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

Bruce Peter Tait, aged 27, pleaded guilty to charges of obtaining credit by fraud in Wellington on February 11, obtaining credit by fraud in Christchurch on February 23, and theft in Wanganui on February 18. He was convicted on all charges and remanded in custody to March 24 for sentence.

He also pleaded guilty to a charge of committing a breach of probation at Auckland on November 8 and was remanded for a week. A complaint was received from the Central Hotel saying that an American had booked in and when presented with an account of £24 Ils for board and lodging he was able to pay only £3, said Detective-Sergeant B. 1. S. Kimber. Tait said he had intended moving on before suspicions were aroused. He admitted posing as an American.

Tait stayed a night with a woman in her flat in Wanganui, said Detective-Sergeant Kimber. He was still there when she left for work, but when she returned Tait had left and a camera and clothing worth £2B were missing. The complainant thought Tait was an American with a yacht which was being repaired at Auckland. Tait said he sold the camera, worth £l9, to a dealer for £5.

In Wellington Tait booked in at the Ennismore Private Hotel and said he had hitchhiked from Auckland and his luggage would arrive later. When asked to pay in advance he said he would have to get in touch with the American Embassy. He left the hotel without paying the bill of £7 ss. Tait was last employed asi a sales representative, said' Detective-Sergeant Kimber. CLIMBED CRANE TOWER A female acquantance who called out “be careful” to a man climbing a crane tower on the Bank of New Zealand building under construction in Cathedral square drew the attention of the police to him, said Mr L- P. O’Brien, appearing for Harry Charles Bruning, aged 27, a computer programmer, charted with being unlawfully in an enclosed yard on January 30. Bruning was fined £5. He pleaded guilty to the charge.

At 4.20 a.m. a constable saw Bruning climbing the crane tower, said Detective-Sergeant Kimber. He had no excuse for his action but said he did it on impulse. Bruning ■ was on his way home from a party and had been to the pie cart, said Mr O'Brien. His action was simply a prank and the police had established there was no criminal intent. It could have been dealt with by a severe warning from the police. POSSESSED BURGLARS’ TOOLS

John William Davidson, aged 24, unemployed, and Graham Neil Davis, aged 22. unemployed, appeared for sentence on separate charges of being idle and disorderly in 'that they had no lawful means of support on March 10. and of being in possession of house-breaking implements. Detective - Sergeant Kimber said that on March 10 in Papanui road about 11.55 p.m. a police motor patrol saw Davis and Davidson walking along the road carrying a navy blue airline bag.

The bag, which was being carried by Davis, was searched and found to contain a screwdriver. a cloth, and some socks. Davidson when searched was carrying a nencil torch and a pair of socks. The Magistrate told Davidson that he had a bad list of previous convictions, and during 1964-65 had served 18 months’ tmorisonment.

“In fact, you have spent the greater part of the last six years in penal institutions,’’ he said. Davidson was gaoled for one month to be followed by 12 months’ probation with the special conditions that he live and work where directed by the probation officer, and that he not associate with people of whom the probation officer did not approve. Detective-Sergeant Kimber said Davis was an Australian and had a list of convictions in that country. Davis said he had been in New Zealand for three months and intended to remain if he could get a job. On the charge of possessing house-breaking implements he was fined £2O. and admitted to probation for 12 months with the special conditions that he live and work where the probation officer directed, and that he not associate with people not approved by the probation officer. He was convicted on the charge of being idle and disorderly, but no fine was imposed. DROVE UNDER INFLUENCE A fine of £2O. with cancellation of his driver’s licence for three years, was imposed on Alfred Debenham. aeed 68, a war pen sinner (Mr P. J. Thompson! when he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving on the Main North road while under the influence of drink or drugs on March 10.

Debenham was driving on the wrong side of the road and collided with a car travelling in the opposite direction said De-tective-Sergeant Kimber. He admitted having had several beers that afternoon. A police doctor certified him as unfit to drive.

GAVE PRISONER WHISKY When visitors had left prisoners were searched in the customary way, and one was found to have a quarter-bottle of whisky, said Detective-Sergeant Kimber when Lindsay Charles Alexander McLaren, aged 18. a wool store employee, appeared on a charge of delivering whisky to an inmate of Paparua Prison on January 22. McLaren (Mr J. W Dalmer) pleaded guilty to the charge. He was convicted and fined £2. PROBATION AND FINE Brian James Lamont, aged 19. a _radio apprentice, was fined £27 and placed on probation for 18 months when he appeared for sentence on nine charges of burglary in shop and office premises. He was also ordered to make restitution of £BB 2s. not to associate with persons disapproved of by the proba-

tion officer, and to live and work where directed.

Adrian George Adams, aged 17, unemployed, appearing for sentence on five charges of burglary, was fined £25 and placed on probation for 18 months. He was ordered to make restitution of £22 2s 6d, and similar conditions of probation as for Lamont were imposed FINED £2O Wayne David Beri, aged 20, unemployed <Mr D. M. Palmer),! was fined £2O, admitted to probation for 18 months, and ordered to make restitution of £l2 6s 6d when he appeared for sentence on a charge that at Nelson on February 2 he obtained credit for board and lodging by a fraud. Special conditions of the probation are that Beri live and work where directed by the probation officer and that he not associate with any person disapproved of by the probation officer. STOLE SUITCASE A steward on the inter-island steamer Hinemoa saw a man acting suspiciously and watched him carry a suitcase into a toilet and lock himself in, said Detective-Sergeant Kimber when John Dudley Jenkins, aged 26, a butcher, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a suitcase and contents worth £lOO. When Jenkins left the toilet he was found to be wearing three extra shirts which he had taken from the suitcase The suitcase contained clothing and photographic equipment. Jenkins was locked in his cabin until the arrival of detectives when the steamer berthed at Lyttelton. Jenkins was convicted and remanded in custody to March 24 for sentence. STOLE COAL David Thompson, aged 24, a driver (Mr K. N. Hampton), was fined £25 and placed on probation for two years when he appeared for sentence on a charge of theft of four tons of coal worth £4O on February 28. Special conditions of probation are that Thompson take out a prohibition order for 12 months, not drive a vehicle for 12 months, and not associate with persons the probation officer did not approve of. He I was also ordered to take medijcal or psychiatric treatment as directed. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge of obscene exposure in Halswell road on March 5 against a youth whose name was suppressed (Mr G. R. Lascelles), was dismissed. The youth pleaded not guilty. STOLE DOLL A married woman, whose name was suppressed (Mr A. F. Wilding) pleaded guilty to a charge that on February 12 she stole a sleeping doll valued at £7 9s 6d. She was convicted and fined £l5. WILFUL DAMAGE Mervyn Charles Greening, aged 27, a landscape gardener (Mr M. D. Hodgins) pleaded guilty to a charge of wilfully breaking a window valued at £3 5s on December 15. He was discharged without conviction under section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act. STOLE CYCLE A woman, whose name was suppressed, charged with theft of a cycle worth £l5 on May 29. 1964, was fined £lO when she appeared for sentence. The Magistrate said she took the cycle believing it was her own. When she found it was not hers she failed to notify the police and continued using the cycle DISCHARGED A 25-year-old woman, whose name was suppressed (Mr R. L. Kerr) was discharged without conviction under section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act when she appeared for sentence on a charge that at Wellington on January 31 she stole a suitcase, a camera and a jacket of a total value l of £lB. WARRANTS ISSUED Bench warrants were issued for the arrest of Kevin Russell Houghton, aged 20, a driver, and Paul George Scott, aged 21, a forestry worker, when they failed to appear to answer the charges preferred against them. ESCAPER REMANDED Ronald Anthony Dick, aged 23, unemployed. w r as remanded till March 21 when he appeared on a charge of escaping from law-

ful custody at Paparua on March 11. • Before Mr E. J. S. Crutchley, S.M.) OBSCENE LANGUAGE John Lindsay Warwood, aged 22. a storeman (Mr D. M. Palmer) was convicted and fined £5 on a charge of using obscene language on March 9. Constable E. J. Reid said he had been speaking to three youths. One, the defendant, was carriyng a pistol and had used the language when being questioned. He pleaded not guilty to the charge. SMUGGLING I Christopher John Greenwood, 'aged 20, a driver, pleaded guilty by letter to a charge of smuggling goods to the value of £l5 at Lyttelton on February 8. He was convicted and fined £25. Charles Patrick Ahearn, pleaded guilty to a charge of smuggling goods worth £2O at Lyttelton on February 9. He was convicted and fined £35. FINED FOR FIGHTING John David Edmonds, aged 23, a seaman (Mr A. P. C. Tipping) was convicted and fined £5 on a charge of fighting in Cathedral square. He pleaded not guilty. NAME SUPPRESSED A youth, whose name was suppressed, was placed on probation for two years on a charge of indecently assaulting a male. FINED £7 10s Ben Kingi. aged 23, a plasterer (Mr R. de R. Flesher) was convicted and fined £7 10s and disqualified from driving for three months on a charge of overtaking on no-passing lines on the approach to the Christ-church-Lyttelton road tunnel on December 11. Kingi was allowed to drive a heavy motor vehicle during his employment. FINED £3 George Herbert Cross, a butcher (Mr H. Jacobson) was fined £3 on a charge of using a shop when the floor was not in good condition on April 29. On another charge of using a meatroom when not in good repair on the same date, Cross was convicted and discharged. Cross pleaded not guilty to both charges. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Henry Frederick Stewart, a contractor (Mr M. G. Loughnan), of depositing refuse in a public place was dismissed. MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES Convictions were entered and fines imposed on miscellaneous charges as follows: Depositing refuse in public place.—Bernard John Riley, £lO. Failure to close shop.—Opawa Dairy, Ltd., £1 10s; Opawa Terminus Food Market, Ltd., £3. Failing to furnish return of income.—Vincent Joseph Hannigan, £5 on each of two charges: Patrick Francis Ford, £5; Albert William Henry Falla, £5; Herbert Airey, £5: British Stamp Bureau, Ltd., £l5. (Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.) STOLE WHISKY On a joint charge of stealing three pint-bottles of whisky, valued at £3 7s 6d, the property of Ballins Industries, Ltd., on December 2, Desmond Hames, aged 35, a workman, and Barry John Nicholls, aged 21, a refuse collector, were each fined £5, ordered to pay witnesses’s expenses of £3 and to make restitution of Ils 3d. The accused originally pleaded not guilty but changed their pleas to one of guilty during the hearing. Mr M. J. Glue appeared for both accused. Evidence was given that the whisky was taken from the bottle store of the Crown Hotel in Moorhouse avenue. DROVE UNDER INFLUENCE Gerald Finlay Orchard, aged 21, a law student, was fined £3O and had his driver’s licence cancelled for three years when he was convicted on a charge of driving under the influence of drink or drugs on the Main South road on February 19. He was ordered to pay medical expenses of £3 3s. Orchard, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by Mr Traffic Officer J. E. L. Hume, said he saw Orchard driving south on the Main South road in an erratic manner about 11.30 p.m. The car was stopped just south of Templeton and Orchard was arrested. The Magistrate said Orchard was honest and straightforward in his evidence and made no effort to mislead the Court.