MAGISTRATES COURT 18 months gaol for beating child

Press, Volume CXIII, Issue 38183, 24 March 1973, Page 9

MAGISTRATES COURT 18 months gaol for beating child

“This is one of the worst cases of its kind that I have had the misfortune to deal with,” said Mr- K. H. J. Headifen, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday when sentencing Neville Murray Hepburn, aged 33, a fireman, to imprisonment for 18 months on a charge of illtreating his son. Hepburn (Mr E. T. Higgins) had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of illtreating Murray Niven Hepburn. aged five, so as to cause him bodily harm, and been remanded in custody for sentence.

“One would have to go a long way before one came across a more disgraceful set of facts,” the Magistrate said.

Hepburn, he said, had struck the boy with a heavy dog chain about the head, shoulders, back and arms. The boy had suffered incised wounds of the head, multiple punctures of the skin, and deep bruising. He had had difficulty in walking and sitting. “To inflict this sort of punishment on a child of this age calls for the application of the criminal law with some force,” the Magistrate said. Mr Higgins submitted that although there was no excuse for what Hepburn had done, he had been under stress at the time because of marital problems and long hours of work. He had overreacted to a situation and had lost control of himself. ASSAULT ON WARDER Rex* lan Wysocki, aged 24, a prison inmate (Mr 1. J. D. Hall), was sentenced to imprisonment , for six months on a charge of I assaulting a prison warder on I March 7. The sentence is to be served concurrently with a term of five years imprisonment imposed in the Supreme Court yesterday on a charge of aggravated assault. Mr Hall said the assault on the warder had been committed i while Wysocki was on remand iin custody awaiting trial. He I was under some pressure and I had felt he was being “picked i on.” THEFT OF MONEY Myles Brian Marsen, aged 17, a storeman (Mr N. R. W. Davidson •, was fined $75 and ordered to pay restitution of 59.30 when sentenced on a charge of stealing $lOO from the firm of Wholesale Groceries, Ltd. on March 15.

He had previously pleaded guilty and been convicted.

ASSAULT Thomas Edwin Midwood, aged 22. a iettler (Mr R. F. B. Perry), appearing on charges of assault and failing to report for periodic detention, was sentenced to imprisonment for 12 months on the assault charge and to imprisonment for an additional three months on the other charge. The assault arose from the) robbery of a man in a main; street in Christchurch., Mr Perry said that both Midwood’s parents were heavily addicted to liquor and with this atmosphere in the home, violence was an accepted part. (Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M.) BURGLARY AND FORGERY Gary Leigh Andrews, aged 26, unemployed (Mr J. E. Ryan), was sentenced to nine months imprisonment on charges of burglary, forgery, and possession of the narcotic cannabis. Andrews pleaded guilty to the charge of burglary last week. Concurrent sentences of six months and three months imprisonment were imposed for forgery and possession of the narcotic respectively. Mr Ryan said that his client was being treated for drug addiction. A medical report showed that there was a reasonable chance of success if Andrews could continue with the drugwithdrawal programme. The forgery involved an addition to a doctor’s prescription— I which was not acted on by the ! chemist, and was so poor it could I not have deceived. The Magistrate said that the | prison term would be followed i iby probation for one year. He I I ordered Andrews to continue I medical treatment while in) | prison and on probation. ) (Before Mr W. F. Brown, S.M.) i ESCAPING CHARGE i Wayne Jordan, aged 20, a) : prison inmate (Mr R. A. Avion) was sentenced to one month’s imprisonment when he appeared on a charge of escaping from lawful custody on February 2. He had previously pleaded guilty. Jordan was sentenced to six years imprisonment in the Supreme Court earlier in the day and because of this, the! Magistrate said, he imposed a l concurrent sentence. Mr Grant said that Jordan had I escaped “to clear his mind.”