MAGISTRATE'S COURT Escaper admits to car-taking spree

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33815, 11 April 1975, Page 13

MAGISTRATE'S COURT Escaper admits to car-taking spree

I A youth who has! ’escaped from custody! twice within the last] i month pleaded guilty to 131 charges yesterday when lie appeared before Mr E. S. J. Crutehley in the Magistrate’s Court. He is Rockford Hill, aged 17, an unemployed concrete worker, who was remanded in custody to April 17 for sentence on 20 charges of unlawfully taking a car, five of unlawfully getting into a ’ car, one of stealing a shotgun and clothing, one of wilfully damaging a patrol car, two of escaping from custody, and one of unlawfully taking a motor-cycle The offences date from; January 21 to April 6. Sergeant 1. M. Gardiner! said that Hill committed' many of the offences involving the taking of cars,: with two associates who' also are being dealt with in court. On one occasion Hill and an associate raced each other in stolen cars. The cars collided a i number of times and Hill's car ! finally rolled over, causing $3OO i ) worth of damage. Hill then climbed into the, other car which later collided ’with four other vehicles. The. I ear finally hit a tree and rolled t twice, causing $lOOO damage. On another occasion Hill drove i i into a patrol car. backed offl : and drove into it again. Dam- , age worth $4OO was done to the; j patrol car and $650 damage donei to Hill’s car. which was later: found abandoned.

On April 17 he escaped from j the detention room at tlie baek[ j of the Magistrate's Court by removing louvres. When located, ;on Marell 22 he was riding an I I unlawfully taken motor-cycle. • He was remanded for a I psychiatric renort and on April i 6 was taken in custody to The , Princess Margaret Hospital after complaining of stomach pains. He ; escaped from there by climbing through the toilet window’. I As he was dressed only in ' pyjamas lie stole some clothes ’ and a shotgun. The shotgun was’ found unloaded near where hej ’ was recaptured the same day. [ Sergeant Gardiner said the de-; ; fendant offered no explanation ■ for his actions. The offences involved cars, worth 821.000. and the police are! ' seeking 51340 compensation as: 1 the defendant’s part. J $lOOO COMPENSATION I Bernard Terrence Courtney, I J aged 48, a salesman (Mr C. A.i -IMcVeigh), was sentenced to five; ( months periodic detention and; i ordered to pay $lOOO on a charge | of committing theft by misappro-; ' printing a cheque for $lOOO on[ i April 2. .1974. He pleaded guilty.! I The Court had been told that' ; a West Coast man answered an; advertisement by the defendant, land gave a $lOOO cheque as a deposit for a front-end loader; ion the understanding he hadi first option. ; The defendant sold the loader to another person, cashing the! I cheque in tile meantime, lie toldj the West Coast man he would! soon have another loader. I; Mr McVeigh submitted that! ’ Courtnev deluded himself into thinking that he could pay the '! money back at any time by i ; [ simply selling another piece of I ,: machinery. J METHOD SUPPRESSED 1 The Magistrate ordered sup- ■ 'pression of the method by I I: which cannabis was brought, t|through customs when a man; -'was fined $lOO on a charge of. I possessing 11.4gra of cannabis. >1 The man. Peter Mareci Fech-i . ner. aged 23. a Swiss national >:travelling around the world on. I holiday, pleaded guilty. I Sergeant Gardiner said that; Fechner arrived on a flight from ; Australia on April 2 and the can-; ) nabis was found on him by; customs agents at Christchurch ' International A irport. j The police asked for suppres-, sion of the method of imports- ’ [ tion because it was “hard to de, i tect” FINED $3OO A vouth who pleaded guilty -j ito charges of stealing an outj board motor, valued at $4OO. on ! October 21, and stealing an »■ aluminium dinghy, valued at. "’s3Bo on November 10. was lined $l5O on each charge. An order ,;was made for return of the ’’ recovered property. j Hie defendant's name was ~ suppressed, “ Sergeant N. W. Mcßae said earlier that both thefts haa occurred at Sumner. The 18 h.p. . motor was taken off the back ' : of a cabin cruiser on a trailer parked in a street. 1 The 12ft Sin dinghy was taken from a slipway and put on a ■ trailer. FIFTEEN CHARGES Susan Hannah Martin, aged 2~. a housewife, was convicted ana : remanded on bail to April 1.. I when she pleaded guilty to 10 charges of false pretence, three charges of forgery, one charge of being party to false prei tence. and one charge of at--1 tempted false pretence. Tire defendant pleaded not .' guiltv to two charges of false • pretence and one charge of - ’forgery. . . 7 The. offences necured between Ancust 28 and March 19. Fest-itiition of 5562 is sought, a and *612 l ,s, d been obtained during the offences, said Sergeant . ’ Gardiner. 4 FINED $lOO £ Anthonv Graham Slade, aged 18. an apprentice panel-beaten c. was convicted and fined SlOO , when he rsleaded guilty to a I! charge of assaulting e Robert Ogilvie on December -■■->• pl Sergeant Gardiner said that on , I December 23 the complainant and '■ four friends had gone to a ham--1 burger bar in Riccarton Road.

i Slade was on crutches and lie land the complainant exchanged ia few words, said Sergeant Gar- ' diner. I Outside the hamburger bar the ■ complainant was confronted by Slade and a friend, who tried to pick a light. As the complainant had started, to leave, he was struck on the side of the head by a friend of Liie defendant. The defendant) then went to the complainant, letting go of the crutches and swinging wild blows, said Sergeant Gardiner. The complainant warded off: the blows, and fell to the ground where he was kicked in the ribs. The defendant had denied being at the hamburger bar or being involved in the fight, said Sergeant Gardiner. Counsel for the defendant said the defendant had been at a preChristmas party and was drunk. He denied throwing down his crutches and swinging wild blows. CANNABIS CHARGE A youth who pleaded guilty to a charge of possessing cannabis! for the purpose of sale, v. as ) remanded to April 17 for sen-) ! teiice. • Paul Anthony Dale, aged 19. an unemployed factory worker, was remanded in custody. Sergeant Gardiner said that the police had opened a parcel received at a Christchurch' freight depot, and found it to contain 100 buddha sticks. The parcel was later uplifted by the defendant, using a, fictitious name. He said be bad been told b\ | another person that he could get ) I some cannabis. The defendant; was later contacted and told I where to get the cannabis. The cannabis weighed 171.9grams and the defendant said i he planned to sell it. $5OO DAMAGE ■ Two youths who burgled the ! office ‘of Canterbury Auto ; Wreckers. Ltd. Blenheim Road, ion January 30, caused $5OO damage when they could not find i any money the Court was told.

Keith Michael Page, aged 19,. a moulder, was remanded on bail to April 17 when lie pleaded guilty to a charge of burglary Sergeant Gardiner said a cash register and an electric typewriter were pushed on to the, lloor and two telephones were ripped from the wall. Page told the police that they got angry when they could not find any money. They had been drinking. TWO CHARGES John Donald Innes, aged 21. an unemployed fisherman. was remanded on bail to April 17. when he pleaded guilty to charges of receiving six cigarette lighters valued at $22.40 and burgling the office block of the] Woolston Primary School, on March 29. . ; Sergeant Gardiner said the defendant was interviewed and six cigarette lighters found, although he denied burgling the tobacconist’s shop from where they had been taken. He said he had an idea the items were stolen and intended to resell them. At 11.15 p.m. on March 29, the defendant was seen breaking a window of an office block at the Woolston Primary School. He entered the office block and opened cupboards and drawers. When noticed inside the building the defendant rushed out. dropping cheque books belonging to the school. He later denied breaking the window. He said he was an addict and wanted a “hit.” SHANGHAI OFFENCE Two vouths who used a shanghai to ’ lire staples from a car on Riccarton Road on March 9 were each fined $5O on a charge of disorderly behaviour. Cedric Steven Schroder aged 19. an apprentice carpet layer, and Carl Raymond Beaumont, aged 18 (Mr P. J. R. Holderness), an apprentice cabinet maker, both pleaded guilty. An off-duty policeman was riding his motor-cycle on Riccarton Road about 5.20 p.m. when something hit him on the leg, causing him to swerve, said Sergeant ! Gardiner. He did not see who i had fired the missile, but further i on he was passed by a car and ! one of the two defendants in it fired a staple from a shanghai. BURGLARY Albert Gordon Robert Millin, aged 21, a fitter and turner, and Daniel Bernard Bass aged 20, unemployed (Mr T. M. Abbott for both),’were remanded on bail to April 18 when they pleaded guilty to a charge of burgling the, construction store of Kidson Construction. Ltd, Cape Foulwind, i on March 20. Sergeant Gardiner said the defendants took a chain-saw and other electrical tools to a value of 5573.68. The equipment was found in the boot of the car. LICENCE THEFT Lloyd William Roy Reeves, aged 18. a driver's assistant, was fined S2O on a charge of stealing a drivers licence on March 25. He pleaded guilty. FALSE STATEMENT A S2O fine was imposed on Michael Patrick Treacy, aged 27. a timber worker, on a charge of making a false statement to the police at Greymouth that- an assault had been committed. He pleaded guilty. DRIVING OFFENCES On a charge of driving with an excessive blood-alcohol level (174 mgi on January 25 at Darfield. Robert Charles Barnes, aged 31. an electrician was fined 5125 and disqualified from driving for nine months. Ou a charge of carelessly using a car on the same date he was convicted and discharged. He pleaded guilty to both charges. TY'RE STOLEN Allan Kenneth Ives, aged 21. a factory hand, was fined S5O or a charge of stealing a tyre valued at 512.25 from Independent T' rc Specialists in December or January. He pleaded guilt?. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL Lindsay George Greenwood iaged 18. fined end disqualified from driving for nini

i months on a charge of driving with an excessive blood-alcohoi level (I99mg> on Stanmore Road on December 21. On a charge of proceeding from a stop sign before the way was clear he was fined $lO. He pleaded guilty to both charges. • Before Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M.H BORSTAL Jacob Nico Arie Cath, aged 19, ■an unemployed storeman (Mr A . J. Tonkesi, was sent to Boistal when he appeared for sentence on six charges relating to the* 'use of drugs. The defendant had earlier been granted a delayed sentence on ■ two of the offences committed, to see if his behaviour improved, but had continued to offend, the Magistrate said. Cath pleaded guilty to charges of theft of a doctor’s bag ar.d | contents from a parked car and using pethedinc at Rangiora on January 8, stealing petrol at Ashburton, and burglary of a chemist shop at Methven on March 1, unlawfully taking a> ij motor car valued at $2OO. and possessing instruments capable ;of use for burglary at Grey-: mouth on March 17. i An order for forfeiture of the , implements and $70.12 compensation was made on the request . of Sergeant T. Moore. I In submissions for the defen* 1 , dant. Mr Forbes said that his > offending was clearly motivated by drug use. 1 He had been given an opportunity to travel to Europe with his parents for seven months in ’ six weeks time and it was hoped [| that this would help the defenI; dant to find release from his problem. TRESPASS I Francis Hokore Haronga. aged 23, a goods inspector of Gis- ! borne, was convicted and put on > probation for 12 months and j ordered to do 24 hours of com- .. munity work when he pleaded j: guilty to a charge of wilful 1 i trespass. .; Sergeant Moore said that on

March 27 the defendant visited the complainant’s flat in Peveril Street, He was asked to leave several times but refused to do so. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL. Paul Campbell Fox, aged 18, a factory hand (Mr A. K. Grant*, was fined SI 00 and had his driver’s licence cancelled for six months when he pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with an excessive blood-alcohol level (1.39 mg at Christchurch on January 24. r (Before Messrs L. C. Fulford and W. J. Hollobon, Justice of the Peace) COMMITTED FOR TRIAL A man *vho allegedly indecently assaulted two women at Christchurch on February 22, was committed to the Supreme Court for trial after the taking of depositions. Pusa Finau, aged 26, a tractor driver (Mr E. T. Higgins), pleaded not guilty to two charges of indecent assault. He was granted bail. (Before air W. F. Brown, S.M.) PROBATION Tania Emma Harrison, aged 27 (Mr G. Al. Brodie), was put on probation for 18 months and ordered to pay $lOO towards the cost of prosecution, when she appeared for sentence on charges of forging and attempting to present a bank withdrawal slip for SlOOO. Harrison had admitted the charge of attempted uttering, but had denied forging the bank ; slip. Tlie Magistrate had said tiiat a police handwriting expert had identified Harrison’s writing on ' the slip, drawn or. a closed ; account of a Mrs C. M. Petrie. A teller at the New Brighton branch of the Canterbury Sav- ; ings Bank had identified Harrison as the person who had tried to i present the withdrawal slip.