MAGISTRATE'S COURT Two years gaol on burglary charges

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33804, 29 March 1975, Page 17

MAGISTRATE'S COURT Two years gaol on burglary charges

A man who used a con- ! verted car to break the win- ! dow of an electrical shop < and steal assorted goods was imprisoned lor two years ; when sentenced by Mr P. L. Molineaux. S.M., in the • Magistrate’s Court on Thurs- ' da\ i The man. Lance Reon Smith, aged 2U. an unemplowed freezing worker, (Mr . K ' b Venning), had pre- < viously pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary. one of attempted burglary, and two of unlawfully taking a car, and been convicted. The court had previously heard that on February 25 Smith had taken a Post Office car from Papanui and had attempted to burgle the shop of Regency jewellers, at 509 Papanui Road. ’'lie same day. the defendant sO burgled the shop of Crown jewellers and Watchmakers,; Ltd. Rangiora, by smashing a window On February 2/. Smith had taken a car belonging to the \cw Zealand Forest Service, and used it to drive through the front window of Ashley Keith. Television. Ltd. Papanui Road. Stereo and other electrical equipment, valued at $965, was stolen. On March 4. Smith had burgled Smart’s Watchmakers and Jewellers. Colombo Street, and had stolen watches worth more than $4OO. Smith told the police that an associate who had accompanied him had disposed of the stolen property. Mr Venning submitted that Smith was “the junior partner” in the offences. FALSE PRETENCE David Douglas Smith, aged 30. a railway engine cleaner, was imprisoned for six months on nine charges of being a party to a false pretence, two of false pretence, three of obtaining credit b\ fraud, and one of being a party to obtaining credit by a false pretence. Smith «Mr R. B Venning) had previously pleaded guilty to all charges. Mr Venning submitted that Smith had been invited to travel to the North Island with two other persons. When he left Christchurch he had >9OO from the sale of a car One of the other persons opened three bank accounts, under false. names, however, and the defendant had helped to cash the cheques. Ten of the 15 charges related to his being a party to negotiating the cheques, counsel said. Smith seeing no cash benefit. the other person using the money. On February 28. Smith had been sentenced to nine months periodic detention for offences which occurred just before those on which he now appeared. Mr Venning said. The Magistrate noted that the offences had been committed while Smith was on probation and that his convictions for similar offences extended back 12 years. The time for leniency had gone, he said. HAD CANNABIS Karen Christine Cory, aged 25 (Mr C K. Steveni, who pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing cannabis, was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence within 12 months if called upon. Sergeant A. IL Huckstep said that when the police had

searched the defendants residence at Redcliffs they found six dug-up cannabis plants beside a back shed. When questioned. Cory had said she had grown them from seeds and had transplanted them outside in November. In January, she had dug them up and had put one of the plants in a hot-water cylinder cupboard to dry out. The other plants she intended burning. The cannabis in the cylinder cupboard weighed 115.5 gm. said Sergeant Huckstep. The defendant said that it was for her own i use and friends. She had no intention of selling it. The Magistrate said that it appeared that another person, who was in prison, had actually cultivated the plant. The defendant had incriminated herself to prevent that person getting into further trouble. RAMMED CAR David Curtiss Kingi. aged 26, unemployed, was sentenced to periodic detention for three months and disqualified from driving for 12 months on charges of dangerous driving and wilful damage. He was also ordered to pay $l9O compensation. Kingi had previously pleaded guilty to both charges. The Court was told that on March 19 the defendant “deliberately rammed” a car in which his former girlfriend was a passenger. Damage worth $l9O had been done to the complainant’s car. $2OO FINE FOR THEFT Rae Edwin Jack Anderson, aged 47, was fined $2OO on a charge of stealing liquor and soft drinks, valued at $127, from Quill Morris, Ltd, on March 14. He had previously pleaded guilty. Mr R. J. Murfitt, for Anderson, said that the defendant had openly admitted to the police that he had taken the spirits over a period of time. Other staff employed at the firm had been also taking goods home, he » said. ' RECEIVED STOLEN GOODS Murray James Buchanan, aged 18. a driver, was put on probation for 12 months when ‘ sentenced on four charges of 1 receiving stolen goods from i David Paul Froggatt. He had ! previously pleaded guilty. The goods, valued at $383, had been stored in the defen- , d ant’s caravan with his consent, the court had previously been ' told. The defendant had also paid $4O for a cassette player. 1 valued at $l3O. • For the defendant, Mr P. H. B. ■ Hall said his client was not a person who had many friends, ‘ and when asked to store the ’ goods in his caravan was faced Lwith the choice of refusing and ! possibly losing a friendship, or 1 doing something dishonest. He ' had made a foolish decision. FALSE PRETENCE 1 Jo-Anne Mary Cole, aged 18. » who opened a cheque account s with $4. and then spent more i ; than s4OO on clothing, two . watches, and an alarm clock in the next two days, was con- ‘ victed and remanded to April 4 1 for sentence on seven charges of i false pretence and one of steal- ■ ing a wallet and contents. : She pleaded guilty to all eight charges. Sergeant A. H. Huckstep said all the offences had been com- - mitted in Auckland, and all but ■ one had been committed at the , beginning of last year. I DANGEROUS DRIVING Alan Crampton, aged 19 (Mr . G. T. Mahon), was sentenced to I juvenile periodic detention for 1 three months and had his

driver’s licence cancelled for 18 I months on charges of dangerous driving and driving with an excessive blood-aicohol level I t2osmg). Crampton pleaded i guilty. DISOBEYED ORDER , On a charge of driving a car . when forbidden by a constable ' to do so. Glenn Cullen, a crane . driver, was convicted, fined $5O, and disqualified from driving . for one month. He pleaded I guiltj Sergeant Huckstep said that ’Cullen had a motor-cycle in ’Cathedral Square about 10.30 ’ p.m. on March 26 when a con- . stable took awa\ his keys. 'Hie defendant was intoxicated and ? incapable of driving, and was forbidden to drive until 6 a m ' At 11.20 p.m., Cullen had driven back in a car to collect 1 the motor-cycle. He had said he needed it to get to work in the morning. ] CANNABIS CHARGE » Alan Laurence Pattrick, aged . 20, an extruder operator (Mr K. ' N Hamptom, was put on proba- _ tion for 12 months and fined; ' $l5O when sentenced on a charge! of possessing cannabis, having pleaded guilty j The Court had earlier been told that the defendant was seen ; . to take possession of a haver [ . sack consigned from Auckland.' . containing 89 Buddha sticks of] s cannabis. from the N.A C. . freight depot on February 2 In submissions. Mr Hampton said that the defendant and a cooffender had established a North Island contact. The de- . fendant had a $9O share in the. a $760 transaction and was expect-' I ing only to obtain a correspondi ing share of the cannabis, which 1.-would have been about 12 Buddha sticks i, The Magistrate said he was 1 satisfied that the defendant’s 1 e participation was distinguished s from that of his cooffender and r that he did not intend to selL i’the cannabis but to retain it e.for his own use. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL Martin Alexander Grainger,; ’ aged 18 a soldier, was fined $200; J and disqualified from driving; ..for 18 months when he appeared! ’ for sentence on a charges of .. driving with an excessive bloodJ alcohol level (255 mg on Decern-; , her 27. He had previously i pleaded guilty. ” (Before Mr W F Brown, S.M.il ? THEFT FROM CAR Michael Maurice Bailey.* aged 20. a butcher, was sentenced to J _ three months imprisonment, to be followed by one year’s pro- ’■ bation, for stealing a wallet, | i cash, and a cheque book from a . parked car. ,• The Magistrate said that ’Bailey had four previous coniviction for dishonesty and had been treated leniently each time. A prison term was “the only Li answer” in this case. L FORGED BANK SLIP 1 Tania Emma Harrison, aged; 27, was remanded on bail to April* 10 for sentence when conI victed on charges jpf forging and .attempting to present a bank . [withdrawal slip for $lOOO. Harrison admitted the charge of .attempted uttering but had denied forging the bank slip. I The Magistrate said that a - ’ i police handwriting expert had identified Harrison’s writing on pi the slip, drawn on a closed account of a Mrs C. M. Petrie. A teller in the New Brighton branch of the Canterbury r Savings Bank had identified 3 Harrison as the person who had. 1 r tried to present the withdrawal , s slip.