MAGISTRATE’S COURT Victim Of Robbery Threatened By Youth With Bayonet

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31672, 7 May 1968, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Victim Of Robbery Threatened By Youth With Bayonet

The defendant had held a cut-down bayonet two inches from the complainant’s stomach and threatened him, said Sergeant A. D. Stevenson in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when Robert John Craig, aged 18, an aircraftman, appeared before Mr P. L. Mollneaux, S.M., on a charge of robbing E. N. L. Greaves of $6.40 in money on April 19. Mr J. M. Wilson appeared for Craig, who pleaded guilty. Sergeant Stevenson said Mr Greaves reported to the police on April 20 that the previous evening, about 11.30 p.m. he was in the bath when there was a knock on the door. When he opened the door, the defendant held the bayonet two inches from his stomach and demanded money, which he was given. Craig left the complainant’s flat about 1.30 a.m. and when he was interviewed said that he was short of money and had found the knife in the flat. Mr Wilson said that there were military policemen present in the court who wished Craig to be released into their custody for part of the day so that administrative procedures for Craig's discharge from the Air Force could be carried out.

Craig was remanded in the custody of the Air Force until 3.30 p.m. yesterday and until May 13, in the custody of the police for a probation report and sentence. SCHOOL BURGLARIES

Restitution of $258.90 was asked for by Sergeant Stevenson when Colin Edward Hodgson, aged 24, a carpenter, and Kerrie Francis Rush, aged 19, a spray painter, appeared jointly charged with the burglary of five schools and a beauty salon between March 9 and April 25. They were separately charged with breaking and entering one of the same schools on April 22. The defendants, neither of whom was represented by counsel, pleaded guilty to the burglary of Oakland Primary School in Cunningham Avenue, Waimairi Primary School in Tillman Road, Bishnpdale School in Greers Road. Papanui High School in Langdons Road. Casebrook Intermediate School in Veitch Road, and the Halswell Beauty Salon in Halswell Road. They also nleaded guilty to separate charges of breaking an entering the Casebrook Intermediate School on another occasion.

Sergeant Stevenson said the defendants broke louvres to gain entry to Casebrook School on the evening of March 8 and 9, causing damage to the value of 810. They took a radio and other property to a total value of $B7. When they broke and entered the school again on the night of April 21 and 22, they forced the rear door with a screwdriver and removed property to the value of $9O. The same night they also used a screwdriver to force the door of the Bishopdale School where 30c was taken. On the night of April 23 and 24. they forced a door with a screwdriver and took property worth $3 from the Waimairi Primary School. The same night, two wall clocks and a barometer were taken from the Oakland Primary School after a screwflriver was again used to 'orce a door, and damage to the value of $2O was caused when they got through a window into Papanui High School. Property valued at $8 was taken from the high school. _ _ Property valued at $203 was taken from the Halswell Beauty Salon and damage to the value of $B4 was caused. Sergeant Stevenson said the accused were interviewed after the police had received information, and they admitted the offences. Both had previously appeared before the court. The Magistrate remanded them in custody for probation reports and sentence on May 13. INDECENT BOOK

Erie Anthony Loose, aged 28. a barman, was fined 325 on a charge of delivering an indecent document, a book entitled "The Skirt.'' to a woman in a public place, namely the lounge bar of the Excelsior Hotel, when he knew that the book was inde cent. Loose, who was represented by Mr M. G. L. Loughnan. pleaded guilty. Sergeant Stevenson said that on or about February IS Loose waa serving liquor in the lounge bar of the Excelsior Hotel, where he waa employed as a barman During the lunch hour Loose was talking to a young woman in the bar and he gave her a book entitled "The Skirt.” The woman later read the first few pages but stopped after encountering obscenities in it. On February 18 the book was handed to the police by the voung woman’s landlady. A quick perusal was sufficient to show that the book was indecent through descriptions of sex and violence. When interviewed Loose at first denied any knowledge of the book but later admitted hav ing given it to the jspung woman

to read. He said that he was aware of the contents of the book and that it was the worst book he had ever read. He was asked how he came into possession of the book and he said that he had found it, along with other magazines, in the bar one day, said Sergeant Stevenson. Mr Loughnan said Loose was no longer employed at the Ex celsior Hotel. The woman to whom he had given the book to displayed some interest in it. The book had been given to the police when they were mak ing inquiries into another mat ter.

The Magistrate refused to make an order for the sup pression of Loose's name.

PRESENTED RIFLE James Peter Smith, aged 18, a plasterer, was fined $2O and an order was made for the police to confiscate his .22 rifle when he pleaded guilty to a charge of presenting a rifle at G. L. Quigley and G. J. White. He pleaded guilty and was represented by Mr D. M. Palmer Sergeant Stevenson said thai about 9.20 p.m. on January 26 Smith was a back seat passenger m his car which was being driven along Oxford Terrace by Kevin Barry Tait. When the car stopped at the Manchester Street traffic lights Smith Bointed a .22 rifle at the car ehind. This car backed off and drove along the left turn lane and Smith pointed the rifle at it through the side window When seen by the police Smith said he had pointed a stick and not a rifle at the car. He could give no reason for his actions A passenger in Smith's car had said he had seen Smith pick up the. rifle which had been lying on the floor at the rear of the car, Sergeant Stevenson said. Mr Palmer said the offence was not as serious as it sounded. Smith and ills friends had gone into town and the car had been parked near the Ox ford Hotel. There had been a dispute with the two occupants of the other vehicle. Smith had been drinking heavily and had drunk most of a bottle of whisky. His last clear memory was of having tea at home some two hours before.

The rifle, a .22 automatic, had been used for shooting the pre vious evening. It could not be fired because both the magazine and the ammunition were in Smith’s bedrodln. The offence had been caused by alcohol and Smith proposed to reduce his drinking. ••In this country firearms art used for sport and not for com mitting assaults,’* the Magis trate said "If a person in liquor uses a rifle to commit an assault then he must have the rifle taken from him. The defendant is too young and irresponsible to have a rifle."

Kevin Barry Tait, aged 17. a plasterer, was fined $2O and had his driver's licence cancelled for six months on a charge of driving without reasonable con sideration on January 26. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Stevenson said Tait was driving Smith’s car. He parked it so close to another vehicle that they were touching. After the other car drove off Tait overtook it and swung sharply in front of it. PRINTED BETTING TICKETS On April 23, 995 betting tickets had been seized, said Sergeant Stevenson when Keith Raymond Davies, aged 41, a printer, pleaded guilty to a charge of printing tickets designed to be used in connection with bookmaking on April 23. Sergeant Stevenson said the tickets were to be used for a race meeting at Forbury Park on April 27 and dealt with four races. There were detachable butts upon which the names of the horses picked were to be written. The defendant would not say who asked him to print the tickets nor how much he was paid. Counsel, Mr A. Hearn, said Davies knew the tickets were for an illegal purpose, but he did not realise that he was becoming involved in bookmaking. Davies was fined $3O. FINED AND DISQUALIFIED When the defendant was ap prehended by a traffic officer on April 13, he was unable to read the figures on his watch, said Sergeant Stevenson when George Hughes, aged 53. a suit designer. pleaded guilty to driving while under the influence of drink or a drug on the Main South Road. Hughes, who was represented by Mr A. Hearn, was fined $lOO and disqualified for three years. HIT PARKED CAR Phillip Greenan, aged 30. a butcher, was fined $7O and disqualified for three years when he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving while under the influence of drink or a drug in Richardson Terrace on April 27. Greenan, who pleaded guilty, was represented by Mr J. W.

Dalmer. Sergeant Stevenson said that Greenan struck a parked car about 9.20 p.m. and drove off after speaking to the owner. Further along the road, he was seen from a patrol car. He was on the wrong side of the road and was travelling without lights. On a further charge of being found in possession of tickets believed to be used in connection with an illegal lottery. Greenan was fined $lO. He was fined $4 for having no warrant of fitness. Both offences also occurred on April 27. DROVE UNDER INFLUENCE After having a disagreement with his wife, the defendant had gone out and drunk too much, said counsel, Mr R. F. B. Perry, when Barry Michael Ha peta. aged 32, a soldier, ap peared on a charge of driving while under the influence of drink or a drug on May 4. Sergeant .Stevenson said Hapeta failed to stop when he turned into Harewood Road from Greers Road and was seen by a traffic officer. He was certified as being unfit to drive. Hapeta was fined $BO and disqualified for three years. The Magistrate said that Hapeta's commanding officer had said he was a good soldier and had given no trouble. A further charge of failing to stop for a traffic officer was withdrawn by leave of the Court on the application of Sergeant Stevenson. BURGLARY ATTEMPT A mother of six children, whose name was suppressed in the interim, was remanded on bail until May 13 for a probation report and sentence when she was convicted of the attempted burglary of the shop,of

L. N. Miller, Main Road, Darfield, on January 17. Detective Sergeant N. J. Stokes said that the defendant and two juveniles were caught hiding in a toilet after the owner of the shop arrived. One juvenile ran off. The probation officer said that the woman’s husband and five of her children were receiving social security benefits. Mr J. W. Dalmer appeared for the woman. STOLE $lO Margaret Joan Thomas, aged 19. was convicted of stealing $lO in money, the property of D; R Croat, and was ordered to come up for sentence within nine months if called on. Thomas <M r M. G. L. Loughnan) pleaded guilty. FINED $5O, DISQUALIFIED The Magistrate said that he was showing "some gesture towards the seniority of the defendant in the community" after he convicted Ada Elizabeth McCartney, aged 71. a housewife, of driving under the influence of drink or drugs, on State Highway 75 at Tai Tapu on April 26. McCartney, who pleaded guilty, was fined $5O. She was also disqualified for three years. McCartney had pulled out from a parking space near the Tai Tapu Hotel and was involved in a collision with another vehicle which had just crossed the Tai Tapu Bridge, said Sergeant Stevenson. FINED $lO Salko Krehic, aged 30, a boilermaker, was fined $lO on a charge of driving a car on to the carmen Road level crossing on February 29 when there was a risk of the vehicle being involved in a collision with a locomotive. Sergeant Stevenson said that at 7.58 a m. an Ab class locomotive was travelling on the main line towards Christchurch when a car was seen to overtake a line of traffic stopped for the flashing red warning lights at the Carmen Road crossing. The number of the car was taken. SUSPENDED SENTENCE A woman, whose name was suppressed, was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence within six months, if called upon on a charge of being found unlawfully in a house at Kaiapoi on May 1. She pleaded guilty and was represented bv Mr G. T. Mahon, who said tha*t the defendant had spent some time in a mental hospital. TRAFFIC CHARGES

Traffic charges brought by the police, with convictions entered (court costs $5 on each charge) were:

Failed to stop for red light: Paul Steven Strang, $l4 and licence cancelled for three months.

Careless use: Thomas William Graham. $2O and disqualified for three months.

Failed to give way when turning right: Bryan Duthie Fairburn, $l6: Malcolm George Johnston. $lB. Failed to give way to the right: Geoffrey William Stock. $l6 and disqualified for one month: Albert Wesley Rayner. $l4. (Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M.) RECEIVED BICYCLE PARTS

A youth, whose name was suppressed, was fined $25 when he appeared for sentence on a charge of having received bicycle parts valued at $12.80. having known at the time that the parts had been dishonestly obtained. Restitution was ordered.