MAGISTRATE’S COURT Disqualified Driver Remanded “To Put Affairs In Order”

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31862, 14 December 1968, Page 16

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Disqualified Driver Remanded “To Put Affairs In Order”

Trevor James Garlick, aged 32, a workman, who has already served prison sentences tor driving while disqualified, and is disqualified until 1982, was convicted of the offence again by Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He was remanded to December 20 for.sentence.

Allowing the defendant bail, the Magistrate told him it was “mainly intended for you to put your affairs in Order.”

Garlick was also convicted of driving carelessly, failing to give information to a traffic officer, and driving without a warrant of fitness. The defendant, who was represented by Mr E. T. Higgins, originally pleaded not guilty to all charges but changed his plea to guilty half-way through the proceedings.

Evidence was given by Traffic Officer James Peter Bowcock that at 7.30 p.m. on Saturday, September 21, he saw a car coming along Blenheim Road with no lights showing. He followed this car and at the Deans Avenue roundabout he saw it almost collide with another car.

When the car was stopped by witness, the driver showed signs of being mildly under the influence of liquor and was asked to give up his keys, which he did. The driver, who was now identified as the defendant, gave the name of “Bill McClintock” when being issued with a traffic offence notice for careless driving. When he took the ignition keys to the Central Police Station, where he had told the defendant he could pick them up again in four hours, the witness said he noticed a name tag on the key ring with the name T. J. Garlick, who he knew was disqualified until 1982.

The defendant came to get the keys later, and asked about this, said a man named Garlick had been driving earlier but he did not want to get him into trouble. He said his name was “Lester McCormick" and questioned about his resemblance to Garlick, said he was a halfbrother. Asked to make a statement he ran out of the police station and rode away on a bicycle. Garlick was found by the traffic officer two days later and admitted being the person who came to get the keys, but not to being the driver Earlier. Asked why he said the driver was himself, he said: “I told so many lies that night you do not want to believe anything I said.” However, Traffic Officer Bowcock said, he positively identified the defendant on every occasion because he had a cast in one eye and a scar on his forehead.

A woman who had been with Garlick at the time of the offence, Blandina Monica Lewis, a housewife, also appeared in court on a charge of aiding the commission of an offence by allowing Garlick to drive. She was fined $2O after her counsel, Mr Higgins, said she had been to a number of hotels before the offence occurred. DROVE CARELESSLY

A fine of $2O was imposed on Christopher MacDonald, aged 48. an aircraft mechanic, on a charge of driving carelessly In Harewood Road on August 29. He had pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving in a manner which might have been dangerous, and this was amended to one of careless use. A further charge of failing to stop after an accident was dismissed. The Magistrate said there was a reasonable doubt that the defendant had not known his bumper had slightly dented the mudguard of another car he was passing. COSTS ONLY Charged with failing to comply with traffic lights at the corner of Memorial Avenue and Clyde Road on August 31, Murray Herbert Gibson Munro, aged 37, a university lecturer, was convicted and ordered to pay $5 costs. He pleaded not guilty and explained that he had just driven out of a service station at an awkward angle to the lights and had not been able to see them clearly. THEFT OF BAG "The defendant has deliberately lied on important matters, I just don’t believe him," the Magistrate said when convicting lan Keith Morgan, aged 37, unemployed, on a charge of theft of a handbag and contents valued at $63 from Hazel Milliken, on August 23. He pleaded not guilty and was represented by Mr R. N. Wilkes. Morgan was remanded on bail to December 20 for sentence. Vivienne Mangos, a part-owner of the Market Hotel, said she was serving in the hotel lounge bar on the night of August 23, and remembered serving the defendant. The last time she saw him walking back to his table he had a handbag under his arm. He was wearing a long overcoat. She said the defendant left the lounge soon after without finishing his drink. Later in the evening she found a handbag on the lawn with some of its contents on the ground. The defendant said in evidence he was drinking in the hotel with his wife, and left the lounge with her after about 15 minutes. He said he was not wearing an overcoat and did not have a handbag in his possession. HIT ROCK FACE

Robert Edward Allan, a farmer (Mr P. J. Hill), was convicted and fined $5O on his plea of guilty to a charge of careless use causing bodily injury on October 19.

Senior-Sergeant V. F. Townshend said that at 10.30 p.m. on October 19 the defendant was driving south on the PictonBluff highway. About nine miles south of Kaikoura the defendant crossed a bridge at the southern end of which is a large rock face in front of which the road takes a sharp left turn. Allan did not attempt to negotiate the corner but ran straight into the rock face. There were skid marks at the end of the bridge for 48ft, Sen-ior-Sergeant Townshend said All three occupants of the car were injured. Mr Hill said that Allan was

not familiar with the read and when he realised that the turn was there and the rock face was in front of him he decided he could not negotiate the turn. Allan applied his brakes and steered towards the rock face, Mr Hill said.

On a further charge of operating a vehicle not fitted with seat belts, Allan pleaded guilty and was fined $lO. Mr Hill said the car had been fitted with seat belts but Allan had taken them out. INTERFERED WITH CARS A youth found crouching beside a car in the yard of Mortensen Motors, Ltd, by a night watchman on December 12, pleaded guilty to charges of interferring. with cars valued at $3OO and $2OO. Norman Robert Taylor, aged 17, a sawmill worker, was convicted on the charges and remanded on bail to December 20 for sentench. Senior-Sergeant Townshend said a nightwatchman saw the defendant crouching behind a car in the yard. There was a crank handle, set of keys and a lock at his feet. The defendant told the police there were two hub caps missing from his own car and he decided to steal two from a car in the yard. He opened the boot of one of the cars and found the crank handle, keys and lock. DETENTION A sentence of periodic detention for two months was imposed on James William Lewis, aged 18, unemployed (Mr R. F. Powell), when he appeared for sentence on a charge of disorderly behaviour in Cashel Street on November 18. Mr Powell said the defendant had "certainly started life behind scratch.” A large number of his previous offences were traffic violations. The defendant seemed to rebel against authority, but he played a minor role in the present offence. The Magistrate said it was time the defendant learned to get out of trouble when he saw it coming. TOOK CAR Lawrence lan Geddis, aged

21, a textile worker (Mr S. G. Erber), was remanded on bail to December 20 for sentence on a charge of unlawfully taking a motor-car and a charge of breach of probation, both of which occurred on October 4. He pleaded guilty. Senior - Sergeant Townshend said that Geddis had been given the car by the complainant, Jeanette Margaret Pugh, to take to a service station for servicing on September 30. He did not take the car to the service station but left on October 4 with the car for Nelson. When Geddis reached Nelson he gave the car into the care of a friend to return it to Christchurch. Geddis was on probation at the time and did not tell the Probation .Service he was leaving Christchurch, said SeniorSergeant Townshend. STREET BONFIRE A man who set fire to a kero-sene-soaked banana case at the intersection of Clare Road and Onslow Street on Guy Fawke's Night for his children, pleaded guilty to burning a combustible material on a roadway and was convicted and fined $5. FURTHER REMAND Harry Martin, aged 43. a tannery worker, appearing on a bench warrant Issued for his arrest after he failed to appear on December 4. was further remanded for a lower court hearing. He faces a charge of burglary of the Woolston Workingmen’s Club and a charge of rendering John Forsythe Allison incapable of resistance with intent to facilitate the commission of a crime, both between January 25 and 26. INDECENT ASSAULT On a charge of indecently assaulting a woman aged 19 on December 10, Keith James Millar, aged 28, unemployed, pleaded guilty and was convicted and remanded on bail to December 20 for sentence. Sergeant Townshend said the complainant and the defendant attended a party at a flat on the night of December 9. Both danced and consumed liquor during the night. He said the offence took place when the complainant lay down on a bed to rest. REMANDED David John French, aged 21, a shoemaker’s labourer (Mr E. T. Higgins), was remanded until January 13 for a psychiatric ex-

amination under section 37 of the Mental Health Act when he appeared for sentence on fivel charges of burglary and one ! charge of arson on November 23. He had previously been convicted. Mr Higgins said little could be: said to explain the facts. The defendant’s consumption of' liquor did not excuse him, bull to some extent it explained his; actions. The defendant had a good! work record and had responded! well to supervision. His trouble: appeared to be drink and some deep personality defect. THEFT CHARGE A man, whose name was «upFressed, was remanded on bail o December 19 on a charge of theft of $20,259.45 when he appeared before the Court on 1 Thursday. No plea was entered. OTHER CHARGES In other prosecutions brought by the police, convictions were entered and penalties imposed as follows, with Court costs, $5, on each charge:— Failed to stop at stop sign: Daphne Carter, $2O, disqualified for three months; Ronald John Wallace, $25. Failed to give way to the right: May Corunna Stevenson Richards. $2O; Leslie Malcolm Muir, $l5. Supplied liquor after hours: Warren Albert Hartshorne, $2O. On licenced premises after hours: Alan Duncan Stewart, $lO. Minor found in bar: Wayne Barrett, $l5; Alan William Eastace, $lO.