MAGISTRATE’S COURT Nine Months Imprisonment On Two Charges Of Fraud

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31632, 19 March 1968, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Nine Months Imprisonment On Two Charges Of Fraud

“By living beyond your means you have brought yourself and your family to disaster,” said Mr E. S. J. Crutchley, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when he sentenced Tahu Noel Robert Fenton, aged 46, a works clerk, to a total of nine months imprisonment when he appeared for sentence on two charges of fraud. Fenton had pleaded guilty to charges that, with intent to defraud, he falsely represented that a car was his own free and unencumbered property and obtained $ll4O from R. D. Mann and $l6OO from J. Priest.

Mr K. N. Hampton, for the accused, said Fenton had planned to go into real estate but did not have sufficient capital. He placed advertisements in the newspapers and borrowed large sums of money on short terms at high rates of interest. Eventually he found that he could not repay the loans so resorted to fraud. He had made full restitution of $l6OO to Mr Priest.

The Magistrate said the offences were deliberate and involved the use of advertisements and a Post Office box number.

The term of imprisonment imposed on Fenton is to be followed by one year’s probation. IMPERSONATED POLICEMAN A charge against a youth, whose name was suppressed, ol impersonating a policeman, was adjourned to September 16 with a view to a discharge without conviction under section 42 of the Criminal Justice Act if his behaviour has been good. The accused was ordered to pay $l5 towards the cost of the prosecution and to take psychiatric treatment. He pleaded guilty and was represented by Mr M. G. L. Loughnan.

Sergeant P. J. Downes said that an employee of tlie AH Night Service Station informed the police that .a youth had been passing himself off as a policeman. The accused was located in Worcester Street and he admitted that he had asked to use the telephone at the garage because he was a policeman and was watching someone. He had said he had just returned from Trentham.

The accused had a small transceiver on which he pretended to call the Central Police Station. When asked for an explanation the accused had said that he always wanted to be a poljce-

man. Sergeant Downes said. Mr Loughnan said that the accused was in a slate of mental confusion. He suffered from an inferiority complex and was trying to make something of himself by pretending to be a policeman. He gained nothing from the offence.

The Magistrate said that there was nothing sinister in the

offence which Was more exhibitionistic than anything else. DROVE UNDER INFLUENCE

Ronald Edgar Jordan, aged 39. a freezing worker (Mr A. S. Bisphan) was convicted and fined $l3O and disqualified from driving for three years on a charge of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs in Kilburn Street on February 17. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Dowses said that a traffic officer saw the defendant driving on Greers Road. The defendant’s car was weaving from side to side along the road.

The traffic officer turned and followed the defendant, who turned into Kilburn Street still weaving across the road.

Towards the end of Kilburn Street, the defendant left the road and struck a power pole. He was not injured. ACCIDENT NOT REPORTED On a charge of failing to report an accident on October 25, Murray James Hohepa, aged 20, a unemployed tussock grubber, was convicted and fined $2O and disqualified from driving for six months.

On a charge of driving without a licence he was fined $lO and disqualified for six months, the terms of disqualification to be concurrent. He pleaded guilty to both charges. Sergeant Downes said Hohepa had been driving on Ferrv Road near Nursery Road when he ran off the road and along the footpath for 39ft. He hit a pole and a fence and later his passenger was admitted to hospital as a result of the accident No driving charge had been brought against Hohepa because he said he had been forced off the road by another car, and the police had not been able to disprove this story, said Sergeant Downes. Hohepa had not reported the accident and he had not been found until five weeks later. STOLE MEAT Two women, whose names were suppressed, charged with theft as servants by taking meat on February 2, were convicted and remanded on bail to March 25 for sentence. They pleaded guilty.

One woman was charged with theft of meat worth $6.48. Her counsel (Mr R. de R. Flesher), said instructions had been given that the meat was to be dumped because it was not suitable to sell. Another member of the staff had offered the meat to the defendant for use as cat food.

The other woman, who was not represented, was charged

with theft of meat worth $3.75. She said the meat was condemned stock and the department manager had been present when she took it. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Thomas Joseph Francis, a freezing worker, of carelessly riding a power-cycle on Ferry Road on November 4 was dismissed. He pleaded not guilty and was represented by Mr J. W. Dalmer. NO CONVICTION A man aged 25, whose name and occupation were suppressed. was discharged without conviction under Section 37 of the Criminal Justice Act when he pleaded guilty to a charge of being found in an enclosed yard without lawful excuse but without intent, on March 10. He pleaded guilty and was represented by Mr M. D. Hodgins. MINOR IN BAR On a charge of being a minor in the lounge bar of the Hornby Trust Hotel on January 26, Gordon Keith Steer, aged 20, was fined $3 and was ordered to pay Court costs of $5. TRAFFIC CASES In traffic cases brought by the police, convictions were entered and fines imposed as follows: Failed to give way: Mervyn Allan Manson. $l5 and disqualified from driving for three months; Denis Edward Rogers, $l5 and disqualified from driving for six weeks. Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M. RECEIVED MONEY lan Gorden Rowlands, aged 19. unemployed (Mr M. J. Glue) was convicted and remanded until March 22 for a probation officer’s report and sentence when he appeared on a charge of receiving $5 cash on February 24. He pleaded guilty. Evidence was given that the defendant and a friend had gone to Corsair Bay for a swim The defendant's friend had given him $5 he had stolen from the changing sheds.