MAGISTRATE’S COURT Imprisonment For Car Conversion And Theft

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31339, 8 April 1967, Page 16

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Imprisonment For Car Conversion And Theft

The public were entitled to ask the courts to impose a deterrent sentence for this type of offence because of the serious number of car conversions in Christchurch, said Mr K. H. J. Headifen, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when he sentenced Colin Bryan Rapana, aged 25, a farm worker (Mr D. M. Palmer), to a total of two years and a half imprisonment on two charges of unlawfully taking cars, two charges of theft, and one of escaping from lawful custody. On two charges of unlawfully taking a motor-car, Rapana was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment on each, the terms to be cumulative, and on the two charges of theft he was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment on each, one term to be concurrent on the other and cumulative on the two-year term. For escaping from lawful custody, Rapana was given three months’ imprisonment, to be cumulative on the other terms imposed. Rapana was appearing for sentence on charges of unlawfully taking a car valued at £4OO, the property of Thomas Michael Dwyer, on March 6, from Christchurch; of unlawfully taking a car valued at £4OO, tiie property of D. Grant, at Timaru, on the same date, and also of the, theft of a car rack and tools, the property of Dwyer, on March 6. Rapana also appeared for sentence on charges of the theft of a pair of trousers at Kirwee, valued at £lO, the property of O. I. Dow, on March 26, and of escaping from lawful custody on March 28 at Waddington. On each of the two charges of unlawfully taking motorcars, Rapana’s licence was cancelled for two years to be cumulative on the other. ASSAULTED WIFE

“To accept the evidence of the defendant would be unwise as I think it is a pack of lies,” said the Magistrate in convicting John Fredrick Littlewood, aged 54, a painter, on a charge of assaulting his wife, Isabella Mary Littlewood, on March 18. He pleaded not guilty. Littlewood (Mr M. G. L. Loughnan) was fined £2O and ordered to pay costs of £1 10s. IDLE AND DISORDERLY “It is a disgrace that a boy of 17, who is capable of working, should decide to live off his pensioner grandfather,” said the Magistrate when he convicted Douglas Walter Uren, a painter (Mr M. J. Glue), of being idle and disorderly with insufficient lawful means of support pn March 30,

Uren pleaded not guilty to the charge. Uren was ordered to come up for sentence within six months if called upon and ordered to pay £5 toward the cost of prosecution. The Magistrate said the section under which Uren had been charged was designed to prevent beggars and loiterers and bad particular application to people who refused to work or were not keen to work.

Uren had no place to live, had only worked for two days in three months, and had 4s 6d in his possession. This was enough to bring him within the section, said the Magistrate.

Herbert Scoble Gilmore, aged 62. a pensioner, was sentenced to tbree months’ imprisonment tor being idle and disorderly, with insufficient lawful means of support on March 31. Constable Lyndon John Kllkelly said Gilmore was found asleep in a partially burnt out house in St. Asaph street with a rain coat puUed over himself. He had 4s «d in his possession. Gilmore pleaded not guilty and conducted his own defence.

The Magistrate said that GUmore was a social nuisance who had decided to become a derelict.

BENCH WARRANT When Steven Patrick Longley (Mr L. M. O’Reilly), failed to appear on a charge of driving while disqualified on March 14, having previously been convicted of a similar charge on June 4, a bench warrant was issued for hls arrest.

NAMES SUPPRESSED For damaging a cell block to the value of £2» after being arrested for being drunk in a public place, a woman whose name was suppressed was fined £5 and ordered to pay restitution of £29. The woman who pleaded guilty to both charges was represented by Mr M. J. Glue. A young woman, whose name Was suppressed, was released on probation for 12 months on a charge of theft from a supermarket of clothes and groceries to the value of £8 6s Id on March 3. The woman, who was represented by Mr J. F. Burn, pleaded guilty to the charge. OBSCENE LANGUAGE Mark Moeroa Tuawhare. aged 21, a welder, appeared on a charge of using obscene language in Cathedral square on April 7. Tuawhare, who pleaded guilty, was fined £lO. POLICE PROSECUTIONS In other prosecutions brought by the Police Department, convictions were entered and fines Imposed as follows with Court costs of £1 10s on each charge: Failed to stop at compulsory stop: Zona Elsie Knowles, £B. No driver’s licence: Paul David Drawford Daniel Fowke, £B. Failed to give name and address: Arthur Harold Johnstone, £5. Careless use: Malcolm Donald Milne, £4, and ordered to attend course of traffic lectures. Supplied liquor after hours: Roy William Jackman, £7 10s. Failed to yield right of way: Wallace William Warrington, £8; David John Connor, £5; Leonard Alan Mayne, £6, ordered to

attend course traffic lectures; Robert Graeme Orchard, £6.

(Before Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M.) CHARGES DISMISSED

Nine charges. Involving exceeding the statutory limit of 11 hours continuous driving on a goods service licence, against Ballins Breweries New Zealand, Ltd., were dismissed. Senior Traffic Officer J. Sterritt said the time books of the company were Inspected when one of their drivers was involved In a motor accident at Cheviot on September » last year. “The driver said he had been driving for 18 hours and that he felt asleep. As a result of thds, the time books were inspected,” he said.

Mr B. G. Blunt, for the company, submitted at the conclusion of the prosecution evidence, that sufficient proof of the hours alleged to have been worked, had not been presented. The Magistrate agreed with this and dismissed the informations. TRAFFIC PROSECUTIONS

In other traffic prosecutions brought by the Transport Department, convictions were entered and fines imposed as follows with court costa of £1 10s on each charge. Careless use.—Mathew Joseph Borgoski, £7; Stuart Burgess Clark, £B. Operating unlicensed trailer.— David John Morris, £2 (no warrant of fitness, £1).

(Before Mr E. S. J. CrutcMey, S.M.) EXCEEDED 30 M.P.H. Stanley Lawrence Davis, aged 21, a labourer (Mr M. J. Glue) was fined £lO and disqualified from driving for six months on a charge of exceeding 30 miles an hour in Memorial avenue and Greers road on December 26. Davis was originally charged with dangerous driving but the charge was reduced to one of exceeding 30 miles an hour.

(Before Mr E. A. Lee, S.M.)

Careless .use: Terrance James Robertson, £lO (failed to ascertain injury, costs only);‘Kathleen Armenia Smith, £5.