MAGISTRATE’S COURT Year in prison for man who burgled storeroom

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32542, 27 February 1971, Page 5

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Year in prison for man who burgled storeroom

The major offender among four men involved in the theft as servants and receiving of goods worth more than $lOOO from the Alltrans Group (N.Z.), Ltd, during the last 14 months was sent to prison for one year when he appeared for sentence before Mr K. H. J. Headifen, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He was Roger Charles Meikle, aged 29, a furnaceman (Mr D. H. Stringer). The sentence was imposed in respect of the burglaiy of a storeroom of Kwikasair, a subsidiary company of the Alltrans Group. Concurrent sentences of six months imprisonment were imposed in respect of each of three charges of theft as a servant and a charge of theft. “I am not prepared, in the public interest, to tolerate burglary in the community. You are a person bent on criminality,” the Magistrate said to Meikle. ‘'You are in a completely different position from the other offenders.” Meikle’s brother, Barry Vincent Meikle, aged 31, a truck-driver (Mr W. C. C. M. Janus), was fined $2OO on each of two charges of theft as a servant. He was also placed on probation for three years and ordered to pay restitution of $167.50. Mr Janus, who produced character references, said that Meikle , could be described as the white sheep

of the family. A long period had elapsed since his previous conviction. The Magistrate said that he was unimpressed by the references which described Meikle as capable, honest and conscientious. He found this difficult to accept, as the offences were obviously well planned. The other offenders, Maurice Clyde Bishop, aged 27, a yard foreman (Mr M. G. L. Loughnan), and Lester Black, aged 28, a freight controller (Mr J. M. Wilson), were again remanded on bail to March 5 for a medical examination with a view tp a sentence of periodic detention. STOLE MOTOR Murray Graham Dick, aged 17, a workman, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing an outboard motor on February 23 and to two charges of driving while disqualified on February 25. He was convicted and remanded on bail to March 5 for sentence. Rex Lawrence Wilson, aged 17, unemployed, also pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing the outboard motor and was convicted and remanded on bail to the same date for sentence. Sergeant V. F. Townshend said that the owner of the motor, Frederick Sydney Blogg, left his boat and motor parked in the driveway of his home in Garvins Road. At 7.15 a.m. on February 24 he found the motor was missing. When interviewed on February 25 the defendants admitted going to the house and removing the motor from the boat with bolt cutters. They dragged the motor across a paddock and loaded it into Wilson’s car. NARCOTICS CHARGE On a charge of importing cannabis on February 18, William Arthur Marsden, aged 23 (Mr G. R. Lascelles), pleaded guilty and was convicted and remanded on bail to March 5 for sentence. Sergeant Townshend said that customs officers at Christchurch Airport found 17 grams of cannabis in a sock in the defendant’s luggage when he arrived from Sydney on February 18. Marsden told the police he

> was Introduced to the use of ’ cannabis while working in Singa- ' pore. He intended it for his own - use while on leave in New Zeaj land. _ Mr Lascelles said there was no ’ suggestion that Marsden in- ? tended the small quantity of t cannabis for the use of other j persons. . ALLEGED THREAT TO KILL Kenneth Tyson, a seaman (Mr » O. T. Alpers), pleaded not guilty S to charges of assaulting his wife 5 and threatening to kill her on 1 February 14 at Lyttelton. To charges of assaulting a . constable and resisting a constable he pleaded guilty and i was remanded until March 12 i for sentence. i Mr Alpers said that • Tyson l was now separated from Mrs » Tyson and she would decline to ' give evidence against him on t the charges concerning herself. The police said that they > would continue with the charges as a fixture and would not with- ‘ draw them despite counsel’s subt mission. ASSAULT Richard James Hunwick, aged ' 19, unemployed, and William J Hunwick, aged 22, a machinist, pleaded guilty to a charge of ‘ assault and were fined $2OO each 1 and ordered to pay $5O each to J the complainant Sergeant Townshend said that . the complainant, who worked in “The Press” building, was ap- ‘ proached outside the building on Thursday evening by one of r the defendants and asked for a match. That defendant brought I up the subject of fighting and , the other defendant punched the > complainant in the face. The , complainant was grabbed round • the neck and all three struggled • on the footpath. The struggle > was broken up by the proprietor ' of a nearby shop and the defendants were arrested by a police patrol. [ The Magistrate said that both defendants had been in Borstal 1 and this time they would pay ! for their deeds instead of the I community paying for them. I ASSAULT WITH HAMMER When the defendant thought there would be a fight between himself and another man, he : took a hammer from the inside ► of his suit and hit the other Iman on the head, knocking him unconscious, said Sergeant t Townshend. I Geoffrey Wallace Kerse, aged k 25 (Mr D. H. Stringer), pleaded ; guilty to a charge of assault in I Barbadoes Street on October 30. He was remanded until March 9 , for sentence. The complainant was travelling 1 in a car with friends, said Ser- . geant Townshend, and when the . car pulled up the defendant’s car drew up behind and the de- ' fendant got out. The complain- , ant thought there would be a i fight, because of previous fights i with the defendant. The de--1 fendant said he hit the comL plainant because the latter had , a bottle up his sleeve and he thought he was looking for a fight. He said he saw the complainant swing the bottle, but • he (the defendant) was quicker. ‘ The complainant spent two days in hospital as a result of [ the assault, said Sergeant Town- - shend. TWO CHARGES Bruce Alistair Van Nieuw- ’ kerk, aged 18, an upholstery apprentice, was convicted and remanded on bail to March 5 for sentence on charges of unlawfully attempting to take a car and depositing dangerous litter. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Townshend said that the defendant and friends at tempted to start a car parked in Fitzgerald Avenue. The defendant had been drinking. The other charge related to stone and bottle throwing between the defendant and other youths. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL Kevin Clifford Moore, aged 26, a seaman, charged with driving with an excessive concentration of alcohol in his blood, was fined $175 and disqualified from driving for 18 months. On a charge of dangerous driving he was convicted and discharged. ; Moore pleaded guilty. ' Sergeant Townshend said that a police patrol was driving along ! a narrow section of Cunning- ’ ham Terrace, Lyttelton, on January 13 when an oncoming car on - its wrong side and travelling 30 1 to 40 miles an hour caused the driver of the police car to ■ swerve violently. 1 When Moore was apprehended • he admitted being the driver s of the car, but denied being on the wrong side of the road or speeding. A blood test showed that he had an alcohol concentration of 214 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood. NAME SUPPRESSED “It is a very refreshing experience to see this sort of conduct displayed by a young person these days,” the Magistrate said

when suppressing the name of a youth who pleaded guilty to charges of forging an 1.R.12 Income tax form and obtaining records and money worth *24.25 from the New Zealand Panners* Co-operative Association, Ltd, by a false pretence on or about August 3. The Magistrate was referring to the fact that the defendant had paid in full fines and restitution amounting to *350 since his appearance in the Children’s Court on September 11. He said the present offences were, committed before the' defendant’s previous appearance and were in the nature of charges. The defendant Was convicted and placed on probation for one year concurrent with a present period, and ordered to pay restitution of $37.12. Sergeant Townshend said that the defendant and another youth living at the same address cashed a cheque taken from mail belonging to another person. The defendant signed a tax form in the payee’s name and used it to identify himself as the payee. SEVEN CHARGES Ronald Leslie Coulter, aged 26, unemployed, was convicted and remanded on ball to March 8 for sentence when he pleaded guilty to seven charges of theft as a servant. Sergeant Townshend said that the defendant had been employed as a television hire sales employee by Autocrat Radio, Ltd. His job was to instal sets in homes and collect money. In August last year the defendant stole a set worth *l7l from his employer and at the end of the year and beginning of 1971 he kept $389 of his employer’s money. CHARGE DISMISSED A charge against Edward John Stephens, aged 25, an electroplater (Mr S. H. N. StamersSmlth), of attempting unlawfully to take a car belonging to Brian Norman Gibbs on February 4 was dismissed. Stephens pleaded not guilty. The Magistrate said there was a delicate balance of evidence and he was compelled to hold that the prosecution had not proved that Stephens had Intended to convert the car. STOLE GROCERIES Sharon Jeanette McMillan, aged 24, was fined *lO for stealing groceries valued at 36c, the property of the Crusader Shipping Line. Sergeant Townshend said that the defendant was seen to drop some items in long grass at Cashin Quay on February 19. These were found to include a tomato and some cheese. TRAFFIC OFFENCES In police traffic prosecutions, convictions were entered and fines imposed as follows, with costs of *5 in each case:— Drove carelessly: Alastair Henry Malcolm, *3O; William Pittman, *lO.

• Failed to comply with traffic lights: Leslie Francis Coles, *4O. (Before Mr E. S. J. Crutchley,

FINED *25 Barrie Maitland Jones, a sports goods dealer (Mr B. S. McLaughlin), was fined *25 on a charge of falling to stop for a red light at the intersection of Barbadoes Street and Ferry Road on December 10. He pleaded not guilty. (Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M.) EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL James Douglas Wingham, aged 24, a boilermaker (Mr A. P. C. Tipping), was fined $BO and disqualified from driving for nine month from March 12 for driving with an excessive alcohol concentration. He pleaded not guilty. “The matter of primary importance in these cases is the level of blood alcohol, which in this case is low,” the Magistrate said. Because Wingham worked in Kainga his disqualification period was deferred until March 12. DECISION RESERVED Frank Richard Oakeshott, aged 39, a television camerman (Mr L. G. Holder), pleaded not guilty to charges of refusing to give a blood sample, driving at a speed th-,t might have been dangerous, and exceeding 40 miles an hour. On the charge of refusing to give a blood sample, counsel said that Oakeshott had been quite agreeable to giving a second breath test and a blood test provided that he could first get in touch with his solicitor. FINED *2O A fine of $2O was imposed on Anthony Patrick Friel when he pleaded guilty to a charge of being unable to stop within half the clear distance ahead.