MAGISTRATE’S COURT Youth Who Converted 10 Cars Sent To Detention Centre

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31658, 19 April 1968, Page 11

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Youth Who Converted 10 Cars Sent To Detention Centre

A period of training in a detention centre was ordered for an 18-year-old youth who appeared for sentence on nine charges of burglary and 10 charges of unlawful taking of motor cars before Mr W. F. Brown, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. “If you don’t profit from this, and appear before me on another charge of dishonesty I’ll send you to Borstal,” the Magistrate told David John Smart, an apprentice painter (Mr D. H. Stringer). The offences arose out of the defendant's infatuation for motor cars, the Magistrate said. An unusual facet was that Smart broke into premises from which he took cars to drive around in, but always returned them, the Magistrate said. Smart had previously pleaded guilty to all charges. They involved cars taken from car dealers’ premises. FINED $2O FOR ASSAULT John Thomas Thompson, aged 35, a council workman, was fined $2O on a charge of assaulting William Morris Einar Neilson. Thompson pleaded guilty. Sergeant V. F. Townshend said that at 10.15 p.m. on April 17 Thompson went to the boiler-room at St Helens Hospital to inquire about a friend, who was not there. Thompson asked the boilerroom attendant to play cards with him and the attendant said he did not gamble. Thompson became abusive and threatened the attendant Thompson was asked to leave but refused and continued to argue for 20 minutes. Thompson then struck the attendant on the side of the head causing his ear to bleed. A struggle followed and Thompson had to be restrained until the police arrived. The accused had been drinking. When interviewed by the police Thompson had said: “Did I hit him? Well, 1 never hit him hard enough,” Sergeant Townshend said. ASSAULT Danniel George Marley, aged 21, a welder, was fined $2O on a charge of assaulting Robert Sargent Lousich on April 18. Marley pleaded guilty. Sergeant Townshend said that at 12J0 a.m. that day the police went to 179 River Road, where a man had been assaulted. He said he had been hit about the head by a youth who was intending to stay at his place for a few days. The man was bleeding from the nose and there were grazes on his face. Marley admitted the assault and could give no explanation except that he was annoyed with the complainant. Marley was rather intoxicated. Marley told the Court that he was a bit drunk and did not remember much. DETENTION CENTRE TRAINING Peter John Bennett, aged 18, an unemployed workman, was sentenced to training in a detention centre on a charge of burglary of Batemans. Ltd, Oram Avenue, New Brighton, on March 31. He was appearing for sentence. The Magistrate said that in the early hours of March 31 Bennett smashed the plate glass window of a shop and removed transistor radios and a portable radiogram. He had been placed on probation on two charges of false pretences and the probation officer’s report stated that he had little sense of guilt and that his mother was unable to control the situation at home.

1 RECEIVING CHARGE ADMITTEE i Michael Joseph Morgan, aged 1 17, an unemployed builder's ) labourer, was remanded on bail ? to April 26 for sentence on a ) charge of receiving four tranF sistor radios valued at $136 r from Peter John Bennett when . he knew they had been stolen. . Morgan pleaded guilty. Sergeant Townshend said that the police searched Morgan's ) flat at New Brighton and the * four radios which had been . stolen from a shop were found , under the house. Morgan had said that he had known the I radios were stolen when he had , received them and intended to keep them for a few weeks before selling them. He had i previous convictions. ‘ RECEIVED STOLEN PROPERTY ' Karen Elizabeth Davidson. > aged 17, a picker, was remanded . on bail to April 26 for sentence . on a charge of receiving a dress ’ and a ring valued at $l5 from ’ Edward Travis when she knew • »he articles had been stolen. She pleaded guilty Sergeant Townshend said that on April 15 James Fraser ' reported to the police that his ■ house in Sullivan Avenue had been burgled and property valued at $491 had been stolen. When Dayidson was seen by detectives on Anril 17 in con- , nection with another matter she was wearing a snake-shaped ; r*ng which belonged to Linda Margaret Fraser. Davidson l claimed that she had bought the ring from a pawn shop but ’ater admitted she had received it from Edward Travis. She had also been give a green frock by Travis. Davidson had previous convictions. STOLE CHAIN-SAW A 31-year-old man, who was granted suppression of name (Mr R. F. B. Perry), pleaded guilty to theft of a chain-saw valued at $24, the property of M. Reynolds, at Papakura on March 12, 1966. Sergeant Townshend said that the man had borrowed the saw from a person who had previously borowed it from the complainant. The defendant had sold the saw. Mr Perry said that the defendant had believed the saw to belong to the person from whom he had borrowed it. This person owed the defendant money and the defendant had sold the saw to obtain partnavment of this money. Mr Perry said. The Magistrate said that the circumstances were unusual and adjourned the question of conviction and sentence to May 2 with a view to discharging the defendant on payment of $lO towards the cost of prosecution. PROBATION Kenneth William Langley, aged 18, a driver, was fined $25 and admitted to 12 months’ probation when he appeared for sentence on a charge of theft of $8.05 in money, the property of Judith P. Devine, on December 16 last year. “This was a particularly mean theft,” the Magistrate said.: "You certainly need some form of supervision and vou seem to be irresponsible,” he said. Langley had taken the money from a parcel he was taking to his grandmother on behalf of an aunt, the Magistrate said REMANDED A 22-year-old man whose name was suppressed in the interim (Mr D. H. Stringer), was remanded on bail to April 26 for a probation officer's report and sentence when he appeared on a charge of having unlawful sexual intercourse with a girl aged 14 years eight months on February 20. He pleaded guilty. NAME SUPPRESSED A 17-year-old girl whose name was s . u PPressed was remanded to AP r ’l 26 on a charge of theft of hairspray, deodorant and soap of. a total value of $1.09. UNDERSIZE CRAYFISH On a charge of tak : ng six crayfish less than lOin in length at Mororimu overbridge on the Kaikoura coast on January 8, Aubrey Wilfred Joy was fined $7 and was ordered to pay Court costs of $5 and a solicitor's fee of $6.30. He pleaded guilty.

I Mr N. W. Williamson, who prosecuted, said the District Inspector of Fisheries saw Joy coming from the beach with a sack. Joy dropped the sack and walked on. The inspector asked Joy if he had a guilty conscience and he admitted that he had. Joy said he had arrived the night before and had set crayfish pots. He was on holiday in the district. NO ESTREATMENT OF BAIL The police made an application for estreatment of bail against Richard William Fitzgerald. aged 48, an unemployed painter Sergeant Townshend said on March 19 Fitzgerald was found without lawful excuse on enclosed premises. He was bailed but failed to appear on April 8. Once Fitzgerald, who was an alcoholic, began drinking he forgot about everything. There was nothing sinister in the original charge. Fitzgerald said he had been drinking and had a blackout. He had no savings, was unemployed and was staying at the Salvation Army hostel. He was receiving an unemployment benefit. The Magistrate decided to make no order for the forfeiture of bail which had been set at $l5O. NO RADIO LICENCE On charges of having unlicensed radios the following were fined and ordered to pay costs of $5 and a solicitor’s fee of $6.30 on each charge: William Edward Johnson, $8; Ronald William Pickett, $6: Allan Bryan Thomas, $4: William John Thompson, costs.