MAGISTRATE’S COURT Man taken to hospital after opium injection

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32775, 27 November 1971, Page 9

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Man taken to hospital after opium injection

A young man was taken to hospital suffering from an overdose of opium, and blood poisoning, after a companion had injected him with an opium-based mixture, Mr E. S. J. Crutchley, S.M., was told in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Before him was Michael Brian Pegg, aged 22, a driver (Mr R. F. B. Perry), who pleaded guilty to administering a narcotic to Stewart Davis on November 22. Pegg was convicted and remanded on bail to December 3 for sentence.

Sergeant R. S. Morgan said that about 1 a.m. on November 22 Davis arrived at Pegg’s home, where the two sat talking for a while. The conversation turned to narcotics, and Davis asked Pegg to give him an injection of opium. After further discussion, Pegg got a hypodermic syringe and needle which he had at his home and made

up a mixture of opium which he injected into a vein in Davis’s arm. They both went to bed.

In the early hours of the morning, a third person woke Pegg and told him Davis seemed to be ill. Pegg induced Davis to vomit, after which Davis appeared to be better.

By afternoon, however, Davis’s condition had got worse and he was rushed to hospital. Davis was expected to be discharged from hospital in a few days, Sergeant Morgan said. The police accepted that Pegg had initially attempted to dissuade Davis from having the injection. The Magistrate ordered that Pegg undergo a medical examination to determine his fitness for detention centre training.

SIX MONTHS GAOL “You have shown only abuse of any leniency extended to you in the past,” the Magistrate told Henry Mathew Huntley, aged 29, a social security beneficiary, when sentencing him to six months imprisonment. Huntley (Mr J. L. Ryan), geaded guilty to charges of iling to attend an Adult Work Centre and receiving two cameras worth $178.48. An alternative charge of theft of the cameras was withdrawn. Sergeant Morgan said the cameras were taken from the warehouse of Kempthome Prosser and Company, Ltd, High Street, on November 8, and sold to a second-hand dealer for $7O the same day. Huntley had been identified as the person who had sold the cameras, but had denied taking them. The Magistrate said that being sentenced to the Adult Work Centre, although severe and unpleasant for some offenders, was a lenient sentence compared with imprisonment—but Huntley had not taken advantage of that leniency. He sentenced Huntley to six months imprisonment on the receiving charge, and to three months concurrent imprisonment on the other. SHIP’S OFFICER ASSAULTED The first officer of the m.v.

Kaitoa was assaulted in the bar of the British Hotel, Lyttelton, by a seaman who punched him in the jaw, breaking it and putr ting the officer in hospital for several weeks, Sergeant Morgan said.

5 The seaman, Wayne John Gurc ney, aged 23 (Mr M. J. Glue), pleaded guilty to assaulting Her- > bert Frank wales on November r 25. He was convicted and re--3 manded in custody to December • 30. Sergeant Morgan said Gurney, ’, who had signed off the ship t- when it reached Lyttelton, asserted that the complainant had } punched him first, but all wit--1 nesses to the incident had said . the assault was unprovoked. . Mr Glue said Gurney had been L “grossly intoxicated” at the time, and had no recollection of the h incident . Declining an application for 1 bail, the Magistrate said that on - the face of it there seemed to be no alternative to imprison- • ment for the offence. I COAST BURGLARIES 1 When two youths found they • had no money for petrol they > decided to burgle houses and baches on the west Coast, Sergeant V. F. Townshend told the court. Geoffrey Robert Muir, aged 17, i Leslie Andrew, aged 19, a work- [ man, pleaded guilty to four , charges of burglary, one of at- , tempted burglary, and a further : charge of entering a bach. Both were represented by Mr M. J. , Glue, and were remanded on ' bail until December 3. Andrew was ordered to undergo a medical examination to determine his suitability for periodic detention. Sergeant Townshend said that houses and baches were entered at Barrytown, Fox River, Rapahoe, Woodpecker Bay, and Punakaiki. The defendants broke in by forcing windows or doors. At a bach at Fox River the back door was open and a woman found asleep in bed; a radio valued at $35 was taken. At Charleston, the defendants were apprehended, Muir throwing the radio out of the car and over a cliff. It has not been recovered. ASSAULT ON YOUTHS Because he took a dislike to two youths who were dressed in suits, another youth struck one of them in the face. John Donald McNeil, aged 17, unemployed, pleaded guilty to assaulting Michael Gerard Fitzgerald on September 1. He was remanded on bail until December 3 and ordered to undergo a medical examination to determine his suitability for a detention centre or periodic detention. Sergeant Townshend said the defendant was passing St Bede’s College in a car when he asked the driver to stop as he wanted to speak to somebody. He noticed two youths coming out from the college and followed them across the road, saying: “Hello, suit boys.” One of the youths asked what business it was of the defendant’s and was ; struck in the face. He fell to the ground and had to have five , stitches inserted above the left : eye. McNeil said he had been < drinking and took a dislike to the youths because they were dressed up. CHAIN-BLOCK THEFTS 1 Brian Keith Blake, aged 21, a 1 labourer, and Raymond Francis i Barnett, aged 21, a workman. < pleaded guilty to a charge of i stealing two chain blocks worth i 80 from Fl-Glass Products, Ltd, on November 18. They were con* I victed and remanded on bail to ] December 3 for sentence. i Sergeant Townshend said the I defendants were interviewed on i November 20 and admitted steal- i ing the blocks from the com- 1 pany’s yard. They said they had ] been drinking at the time of < the offence. < THEFT OF WHISKY 1 On a charge of stealing two ; bottles of whisky worth $11.40 ' from Frank A. Cook, Ltd, on November 25, Donald Stewart Wilson, aged 24, unemployed, was convicted and remanded on ball to December 3 for sentence. ! He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Townshend said Wil- 1 son entered the bottle store about 4.5 p.m. He removed the < bottles from a shelf and ran | Off. i Wilson was apprehended by 1 the manager who held him until i the police arrived. i CAR OFFENCES ‘ Peter Graham Courtier, aged 1 18, a workman (Miss J. M. Man- I son), pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully taking a car, and stealing a car radio worth $25. on October 28. He was convicted . and remanded on ball to Decern- I ber 3 for sentence. Sergeant Townshend aald ' Courtier was interviewed on , November 11 and admitted ! taking the car with two other ' youths, who would appear in the < Children’s Court. He said the car was driven to a spot behind Christchurch Airport where it was stripped of some parts. Other parts were damaged. Courtier said he took a radio from the car. ASSAULT IN HOTEL George Mullpola, aged 31, a workman, pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting Graham Colin Frew on August 21. He was convicted and remanded on bail to December 3 for sentence. Sergeant Townshend said Mullpola and another man began fighting in the Royal George Hotel about 10.10 p.m. on August 21. The complainant separated them and was escorting Mullpola to the door when the latter punched Mr Frew in the face and knocked him to the I floor. THEFT OF RADIO Trevor Vincent Lowry, aged 17, unemployed was convicted and remanded on bail to December 1 for sentence when he pleaded guilty to charges of theft of a radio worth $4O, and wilful damage, to the extent of $B, to a paling fence. Sergeant Morgan said Lowry admitted taking the radio from the window ledge of a house as he walked past. He, bad later sold the radio to an acquaintance. Lowry also admitted kicking at the fence and breaking two palings. To the Magistrate, Lowry said he had taken the radio because he needed the money and had kicked at the fence because he was “mad.” (Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M.) FINE OF $lOO Dennis Alwyne Hawkins, aged 24, a manufacturing jeweller (Mr

r D. H. Stringer), wm fined *l3O , and released on probation for i one year, with a condition that • he lives and works as directed, r when he appeared for sentence i on a charge of assaulting Ronald Leonard Hunun. Mr Stringer said it would add . insult to injury if an order was - made for some of the fine to " be paid to the complainant, be- - cause of the peculiar drcum- ‘ stances of the case, “I do not approve in any way > of what you did,” the Magistrate ' told Hawkins. i PERIODIC DETENTION Barne William Morrison, aged i 25, a baker (Mr D. J. Hewitt), was sentenced to periodic deten- , tion for nine months and ordered to pay restitution of *7.50 ' when sentenced on a charge of burglary of David Crozier, Ltd. . David Michael Govie, aged 17, i a workman (Mr D. M. Palmer), , who also appeared for sentence . on a similar charge, was also sentenced to periodic detention for nine months. FALSE PRETENCES Gordon Alexander Milne, aged 54. unemployed (Mr E. T. Hig- . gins), was remanded in custody . to December 3 when ho pleaded guilty to six charges of false pretences at Christchurch, Ashburton, and Umaru. Senior-Sergeant F. G. Mulcare said Milne used cheques from a stolen book, obtaining *253.77 in cash and *188.40 in goods. Neither cash nor goods had boon recovered, as the proceeds had been spent on drink. Milne told the police that he knew the cheques were stolen. He was drunk when the offences were committed. DEFERRED SENTENCE George Patrick Shannon, aged 33. a steel worker (Mr P. G. Benseman), was ordered to come up-for sentence within one year if called upon when he appeared for sentence on a charge of theft of two loaves of bread and three half-pints of cream, worth 77c, on October 28. Mr Benseman said Shannon was slightly drunk at the time. There was nothing to indicate that what he did was a deUber"He still maintains that he left a dollar at the scene of the theft,’ Mr Benseman said. Shannon was ordered to pay witnesses’ expenses of *19.50. CARELESS DRIVING Donald Kenneth Robin Rowley, aged 50, a storeman (Mr C. A. McVeigh), was convicted and fined *4O and disqualified from driving for six months on a charge of careless driving caus- < ing injury. He had pleaded not i guilty. , . i The charge arose from a col- 1 Usion at the intersection of Rlc- I carton Road and Hansons Lane i on May 18. The driver of the 1 other car. Ethel Margaret Scott, 1 aged 85, died after the accident ’ The Magistrate said that, in 1 the absence of evidence to the 1 contrary, he would accept that the lights of the car with which Rowley coUided were not on at , the time. Rowley had been driving for < 35 years without incident, the ; Magistrate said. (Before Mr W. F. Brown. S.M.) J ALCOHOL OFFENCES I In Ministry of Transport t prosecutions for driving with an 1 excessive blood-alcohol concen- 1 tratlon, convictions were entered j and penalties imposed as follows, ( costs of *5 and medical expenses of $10.50 being additional in each case: Colin Kirkwood (two charges, both 151 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood), *l5O . and disqualified for nine months; ( $lOO and disqualified for 18 , motMui Gavin Eric Williams (253 < milligrams), $2OO, disqualified for i two years (breach of order for partial disqualification, *l5O, and 1 disqualified for two years, con- , current), and released on pro- 1 bation for two years; Bruce Alexander Kane (183 milligrams), *4O; Raymond John Pearce (154 miUigrams), disqualified for one ] year, released on probation for two years (drove while disquall- ; Bed. $2OO. and disqualified for one year, with two years probation). DROVE WHILE DISQUALIFIED J On a charge of driving while J disqualified, to which he pleaded < guilty, Bernard Francis Powell, aged 17. a labourer, was sen- ‘ fenced to periodic detention for j six months. He was also placed J on probation for 18 months and J disqualified from driving for six j months. j (Before Messrs A. J. Henderson < and F. Brooks, J.P.S.) j COMMITTED FOR TRIAL I A man, whose name was suppressed, was committed to the ’ Supreme Court for trial ’ after depositions were taken on I charges of Indecently assaulting his 14-year-old daughter and 1 assaulting a 15-year-old girl. The 1 accused was represented by Mr I D. M. Palmer.