MAGISTRATE’S COURT Men entered Games Village ’as prank’

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33455, 9 February 1974, Page 15

MAGISTRATE’S COURT Men entered Games Village ’as prank’

Two men who were found' without lawful excuse in thej Commonwealth Games Vil*age at Ham on January 21 j nere each convicted and fined S3O when they pleaded; luilty to the charge in the! Magistrate’s Court yester-: jay. They are Vernon Leslie Eade,' aged 32, a labourer, and Bernard Sydney Hedges, aged 26, a labourer (Mr R. J. K. Burtt, for both). Sergeant M. Stevens said that the defendants had been apprehended by security guards at 11.20 p.m. as they attempted to leave the village without producing identity cards. They told the police they had decided to climb the fence after reading about the security measures. They had thought the security system was a “half-way” measure. Mr Burtt submitted that the defendants had climbed the fence as a prank and had not considered they would succeed in entering the village. They had had no intention to commit any other offence. Had they decided to leave the village by climbing out over the fence they would probably not have been apprehended. “You are both old enough to know better . . . you had no right to be there,” Mr W. J. Brown, S.M., told the defendants. DISORDERLY BEHAVIOUR “If anything like this happens again you will be going to tlie work centre,” the Magistrate' said when George Enoka, aged! 30. a metal polisher, pleaded guilty to a charge of behaving in a disorderly manner in Press’ Lane on February 3. Enoka was convicted and fined S4O. Sergeant Stevens said that Enoka had become involved in an j argument in the lane about 1.301 a.m. He was seen to throw a I bottle through an already-broken!

'window In the Press Company's, building. ASSAULT Warrick Lindsay Mason, aged 23, a soldier (Mr K. N. Hampton), j pleaded guilty to a charge of assaulting Graeme Donald Diamond' ion November 8. He was con-! Ivleted and fined $2O. • Sergeant Stevens said that! ! Mason had become annoyed by jthe behaviour of a motorist driv-l !ing in front of him on Ferry! ! Road about 9.15 p.m. The car (had speeded up when Mason had; I attempted to pass it, and had! ; slowed down when he did. ( When the driver ahead! ( stopped on the roadside, Mason! ihad approached and punched him on the nose through the; open window. The Magistrate said that Mason! had had no right to take the law into his own hands, but he had been provoked to a considerable; degree. THEFT AND FORGERY John Waaka, aged 21, unemployed (Mr M. J. Glue), pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a Post Office Savings Bank Thrift Club book at Wellington on January 15, and to five charges of forging withdrawal slips for sums (totalling $2OO. ! Waaka was convicted and remanded on bail to February 15 for sentence. SHOPLIFTING Peter Maurice Boys Trew, aged! 46, a park caretaker (Mr K. N. I Hampton), was convicted after; pleading guilty and fined $2O on a charge of theft on February 7 of( women’s underwear, valued at! $8.84, the property of W’ool-; worths, Ltd, at Sydenham. Sergeant Stevens said that Trew had been seen by a store detective to place the articles in a basket he was carrying. He had then walked through a checkout area which was not in use. Mr Hampton said the defendant had been drinking. He had been embarrassed about paying (for the article, at a checkout Soint. They were for his wife. He ad offered to pay when appre- ' bended. I DANGEROUS DRIVING Christopher William Randall, 'aged 18, a bushman (Mr K, N. ( Hampton), was fined $lOO and disqualified for nine months after pleading guilty to a charge of (driving dangerously on Worces(ter Street and England Street, ; Linwood, on September 30. ; Sergeant Stevens said that the defendant had driven at 50 to 60 |m.p.h. along England Street, crossing intersections without I stopping. There was a collision at ( the Cashel Street intersection in 'which a passenger from the other car involved, was injured. . I Mr Hampton said that the de-

, .fendant had been having | difficulty with the brakes of his car. j (Before Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M.) ASSAULTED WIFE ■ j A man,. whose name was suppressed, was convicted and fined :! SSO, and ordered to pay witnesses’ expenses of $3.25, on a ■ charge of assaulting his wife on ' October 27. It was ordered that ■ half the fine be paid to the com--1 plainant. I The man had pleaded not guilty. I “A certain amount of hurlyburly is to be expected in the I matrimonial bedroom, but when > the injuries are as described here it becomes a matter for the i Court,” the Magistrate told the .■ defendant. “When you marry a I person, you do not obtain the > privilege of using them as a punch ball. You have exceeded the limits here.” ; (Before Mr K. H. J. Headifen, 1 S.M.) i CHARGE OF INJURING Leslie Stewart Smith, aged 22, ' a butcher’s labourer (Mr D. J. ’ Boyle), was convicted and remanded on bail to February 18 ! for a medical examination for 1 adult periodic detention when he appeared for sentence on a I charge that with reckless dislj regard for the safety of others, Ihe injured two men and a i woman in an incident outside a iihotel on January 16. ! “I am at a loss to understand , how a person of your character . | can behave in this way,” the ! Magistrate told Smith. “Yet two > ! persons were hospitalised, and a .(woman was knocked unconscious i; as a result of your actions.” i EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL ; John William Harris, aged 23, a •I shiftworker, was convicted and I' fined SIOO, and disqualified from >i driving for nine months on a ti charge of driving with an ex- >! cessive blood-alcohol content - (173 mg ; He had pleaded not guilty. I Alban Te Uki, aged 40, a social security beneficiary, was con’ivicted and fined $l5O, and dis- •; qualified from driving for 18 ’: months on a charge of driving .'with an excessive blood alcohol ‘ content (234mg>. ’ He had also pleaded not guilty. > J Work to resume.— Normal ; work will resume at the t Feilding freezing works on i Monday, it was decided after 3 a meeting of workers yester- ■ day.—(P.A.).