MAGISTRATES Woman admits charge of assaulting child

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33783, 4 March 1975, Page 10

MAGISTRATES Woman admits charge of assaulting child

A woman, aged 24, who admitted giving a four-year-old boy a beating with at wooden spoon, was convicted on her plea- of guilty on a charge of assault when she appeared before Mr P. L. 1 Molineaux, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The woman, whose name was suppressed in the interim, was remanded on bail Jo. March 10 for sentence. Detective Sergeant N. W. Milsum said the police interviewed the defendant on December 24 about a child who. had received two black eyes, bruises on his forehead and on his back from his waist to his knees, and marks oni his arm. ■ She admitted beating the: boy the day before with a wooden spoon. She had also kicked him, causing him to fall on his face. A friend in the North Is-] land had given her the boy.; she said. Detective Sergeant Milsum said that the woman had two child-: ren of her own and since the: offence the boy assaulted had been put in the custody of the Social Welfare Department. A doctor found that the bov v as “bright and cheerful” when he examined him about 10 p.m. on December 25. ASSAULTS IN HOTEL Raynor Francis Hooper, aged 26. a labourer (Mr D A. Taiti, was fined $75 and ordered to pay S«0 compensation on < barges of assaulting Percy McDonald and Kevin Raymond Amos on February 28. He pleaded guilty Detective Sergeant Milsum said that about 9.30 p.m., in the Lancaster Park Hotel, one of the complainants asked Hooper if he would stop moving his chair around as it was blocking the; door. The defendant punched Mr McDonald in the mouth, damaging his false teeth. Hooper also grabbed Mr Amos around the neck. When interviewed the defendant was unable to explain his actions except to say that he had been drinking. THREE BURGLARIES A man who committed three burglaries in the first six weeks of tile year, later went to the police and gave himself un. Detective Sergeant Milsum said. John Josenh Edwards, aged 20 pleaded guilty to charges of burgling Hawke Brothers. a b 'tchers’ shop in Ferry Road, and two houses. Huxley Street and Colombo Street. He was remanded on bail until March 10 for a probation report and sentence. Two legs of mutton, a radiorecord player, a cigarette lighter, and MOO in cash were taken in

■ the burglaries, said Detective Sergeant SlUsum. The defendant told the police : that the legs of mutton had been eaten and he had spent all but , 575 of the money on clothing and gambling. The radio-record,, player and cigarette lighter were; I recovered unharmed. EXCESSIVE BLOOD ALCOHOL Cliffotd Whitu Thomas, aged! 44. a freezing worker, was convicted and remanded at large until March 10 for sentence, when he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with an excessive blood alcohol level <3o3mgi in May. STOLE ELOWERS Denis Maxwell Hasall. aged 33. a welder iMr K. N. Hampton'. I was fined Sl5 on a charge of, stealing a bunch of flowers, worth 70c. on March 1. He pleaded guilty. Mr Hampton submitted that the defendant was intoxicated at the ' time and had no use for the; flowers, which he took from a| !I shop. ASSAULT i Alfred James Colombus, aged 20. a driver, was remanded on bail to March 10 for sentence on a charge of assaulting Gary Robert Graham on February 20. I He pleaded guilty. Detective Sergeant Milsum said that about 11.30 p.m. the defenI dant became violent in an argu- . ment with his flatmates. He . threw one glass at the complainI ant and another towards the ~ window. He then held the complainant’s shirt with one hand and punched him on the jaw. When nnestioned b* the police the defendant said that he had been drinking and got involved in a domestic argument. I (Before Mr F. G. Paterson. S.M.i: J 19 THEFT CHARGES , A young married woman with two children, who appeared for , sentence on 19 charges of theft. I was put on probation for 18 months. I The woman, Gail Elizabeth Steinz. aged 19 fMr A. C. Hughes- , Johnsoni, had previously pleaded ; gu’lty to all charges. Sergeant A. H. Hucksteo had . i previous!v told the Court that ■' the defendant and an associate stole from Christchurch shops for , | three months. I Goods worth *321.01 were , found in a car when she was ’ I caught and *525.30 worth of . goods later found in her house, i The articles, including clothes . and toys were for herself, her ’ i husband and her children, she 1 had said. I Mr Hughes-Johnson said tn ■I submissions that it was clear ‘' from the sheer scale of the j offending, that there was some '.thing “radically wrong” with the security precautions in many of pl the shoos in the community. s It was unfortunate that the • defendant had not been anprei bended at an earlier stage of her offending. She was susceptible to I temptation and easily led, he t said. The Magistrate said the defendant had been involved in a . spate of “ouite unacceptable dis. t honest behaviour.”

Au order was made for tlie return of recovered property. CONCURRENT TERM On a charge of possessing cannabis, Richard Graham Squires, aged 20 a prison inmate, was I sentenced to seven days gaol. He I had previously pleaded guilty. The Magistrate made the term concurrent with a previous sentence of gaol being served by Squires. Sergeant A H. Huckstep earlier told the Court that the defendant while on pre-release work outside the prison, had posted the cannabis to an Invereargill address where he later intended to collect it while on week-end parole INCEST CHARGE A youth aged 17, whose name was suppressed, was sentenced to six months periodic detention and put on probation for 18 months on a charge of committing incest with his half-sister, ; aged five. He had previously (Pleaded guilt. Mr R. J. Murfitt, for the defendant, said that a doctor’s report showed that the boy had the mental maturity of an eight-year-old. The boy was suffering from a social disorder and did not understand the seriousness of die offence, he said. (Before Mr W. F. Brown. S.M.) ASSAULT AND THEFT A Borstal inmate who appeared on charges of assault and stealing of a pushchair, handbag, and contents was .convicted and discharged. Margaret Rose Farr, aged 18 iMr P H. B. Hall), pleaded guilty to the charges Sergeant N. W. Mcßae said that about 10 p.m on November 13 the defendant was standing near Cathedral Square. She made rude remarks to the complain ant. Ursula Sherryl Marsden, and i her friends and then struck the i I t r r 5 r i r f 5

;: complainant with a leather san- ■ dal. The complainant suffered ai : black eye. and a swollen face and lips On November 25 the defendant. I :; along with three others, took a I ' i pushchair and a handbag andl contents, left outside the Gov- ; ernment Tourist Building in ! • Cathedral Square. The pushchair i ’ was taken to a city flat and the: $llO contents shared between the I ’ For the defendant Mr Hall . said that the assault was not I without provocation. The complainant and her triends had ; made some derogatory remarks to the defendant and her friends. ' However, the defendant frankly denied using the sandal The theft was the result of a -dare made by the defendant, he ! j said. ’ i Mr Hall submitted that as the 3 ’ defendant would probably have -! another year to serve at the Bor- , stal training centre it would be f unrealistic to impose any further penalty. I GOT ON MOTOR-CYCLE , Stephen William George Prjce, aged 17, a railway worker (Mr j P. H. B. Hall), was convicted and ■ ordered to come up for sentence i within 12 months if called upon tvhen he pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully getting on > a motor-cycle at Christchurch on November 2 last year. i Sergeant Mcßae said the !- motor-cycle valued at $390, was I!unlawfully taken from Lichfield ;-1 Street by another youth, who I took it to the defendant’s flat. 8 The defendant had admitted goyjing for a joy ride on the machine. cl Mr Hall said the defendant r • had played a relatively minor g part in the offence He had tried e to remove the motor-cycle from i-his property but another youth dI involved in the incident had ree turned it