Magistrates Court Man shot in legs in domestic dispute

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33874, 20 June 1975, Page 21

Magistrates Court Man shot in legs in domestic dispute

■ '■ A 49-year-old woman 1 picked up a .22 rifle and .shot her husband through ' both thighs while he was sitting on a couch. Mr K. H.( J. Headifen S.M. was told ini the Magistrate’s Court, yesterday. (. The woman pleaded guilty! !to a charge of injuring her] I husband by carelessly using a firearm and was remanded on bail to June 26 for a probation report and sentence. Interim suppression of her name was granted, at the request of counsel, Mr C. C. H. Knight. Sergeant J. C. Rowe said that at 11.30 a.m. on April 24, the police received a call from the St John Ambulance that a man had been shot in a house in Christchurch. The defendant told the police that she and her husband had been arguing and he had asked her to shoot him with a .303 rifle. She picked up the rifle, aimed it at him, and pulled the trigger, but it was empty. Sergeant Rowe said she then said she went out and when she came back the .303 rifle had been replaced by a .22 rifle. Her husband told her "to have a go” with the .22 rifle, so she picked it up, aimed it at her husband, who was sitting on a couch, i and pulled the trigger. The ! rifle fired and the bullet ( went through both his thighs. Her husband was admitted ' to Christchurch Hospital and was not discharged until May 5, said Sergeant Rowe. Her husband also appeared in Court yesterday on charges of unlawfully possessing a .303 rifle and a .22 ' rifle. The case was adjourned to July 3 and no plea was entered.

NINE MONTHS GAOL Ben Tukutahi Waikato, aged 39, unemployed, was sentenceo to nine months imprisonment on charges of burgling the house of Trevor F. Counhan, Hanmer Street, on April 28, and unlawfully taking the car of Donald Moir Smith on April 15. He was convicted and discharged on a charge of obtaining credit by fraud, involving his incurring a debt of $340 with a taxi-driver, Mr T. S. Lavea, on April 15. He had pleaded guilty to all three charges. Mr M. J. Glue, for Waikato, said that drink was the basic difficulty the defendant had. He was a good worker. The Magistrate said that Waikato had an “appalling list” of convictions. In 1970 he had been given a deferred sentence, in 1971 he was sentenced to two years gaol on a charge of robbery, in 1973 he was put on probation on a charge of burglary, and since then had been fined several times for offences involving motorcars and wilful damage. GAOL FOR BURGLARY The theft of stereo equipment was prevalent in the community and in this case the defendant, James Michael Duffy, and an associate had taken one. valued at $350, from a house and sold it, the Magistrate said. He was not prepared to persevere with Duffy, he said. He sentenced him to 12 months imprisonment. Duffy, aged 31, a showman (Ml E. T. Higgins), had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge of burgling the house of Deane Judith Stringer in Armagh Street on May 5. The Court had heard that Duffy and an associate took the stereo from the house and the same day the associate sold it for $7O to another person in a hotel. Duffy received half the money. „ _ Mr Higgins said that Duffy first offended in 1972 and since then his alcohol problem had helrsed produce a steady deterioration in his behaviour. It was his third appearance on a burglary charge. MAN RESENTENCED A man was sentenced to nine months imprisonment on three charges of burglary after the probation service had asked to have him resentenced. Robert Joseph Puhlrere, aged 23. a poultry worker (Mr A. W. Robinson), was also sentenced to three months imprisonment for failing to report to his probation officer, the term to be concurrent. On a further charge of failing to report for periodic detention, Puhirere was convicted and discharged. , „ He had previously pleaded guilty to all charges. Mr Robinson said that Puhlrere was a man of somewhat limited capacity although he responded well under strong supervision. He had found the special conditions imposed for the three charges of burglary onerous. The three charges of burglary were not premeditated offences and in no case were substantial amounts taken. The Magistrate said he would have thought the conditions originally imposed for the three burglary offences were not too onerous.

Puhirere had been put on probation for 18 months, with the conditions that he live and work where directed, not associate with persons disaporoved of by the probation officer, abstain from alcohol, take out a prohibition order, and attend the Alcohol and Drug Dependency Centre.

It was not often the nrobation service asked that someone be resenteneed, the Magistrate said.

BORSTAL Karl Patrick FUipov. aged 18, unemployed, was sentenced to Borstal training on one charge of theft and six of burglary. Between May 29 and June 3, the defendant unlawfully entered the premises of two locked studios in Manchester Street, Colonial Distributors, Ltd; Hillarv and Baxter, Ltd, the premises of Stanley Douglas Bannehr; took money to the value of $34. the property of Photoquick. Ltd, and took money from a cash tin in the office of Sonyac Dealers. INDECENT ASSAULTS A man was put on probation for 18 months on two charges of indecently assaulting a youth. He was found guilty after a defended hearing. Mr Fitzgibbon said that the defendant was the product of a lonely and insecure childhood. He had spent 34 years in institutions. mainly Templeton Hospital, and was first fully released in 1967. BURGLARY Although the defendant had been sent to prison a number of times he had never been given a sentence of periodic detention and a chance to remain in the community, Mr G. M. Brodie submitted on behalf of Patrick Ronald Klriona. Kiriona. aged 25, an unemployed labourer, had pleaded guilty to charges of burgling a flat at the Christchurch Gun Club on May 15, and breach of probation. He was sentenced to six months periodic detention. Detective Sergeant Muddiman had said that all of the $lO4B worth of property taken in the burglary had been recovered except clothing valued at $5B.

"Without his co-operauon tew of the stolen goods would have been recovered.” the prosecutor had said.

Mt Brodie said that the offence had been Kiriona’s first since his release from prison one year before. That one year had been the longest period Kiriona had been out of trouble in his adult hood

He had been sent to Borstal at i a very early age and later, to prison on numerous occasions When he was last released from prison he had come to Christ church to get away from his associates and his past It was only when lie met an old acquaintance that he com mitted the burglary counsel said

The Magistrate said that Kiriona was entitled to some consideration for his co-operation with the police RECEIVED AMPLIFIER A man who paid $350 for a stereo amplifier and other goods valued at $650 was sentenced to three months periodic detention on a charge of receiving David John Crowe, aged 35. a salesman (Mr W. G. Young), had previously pleaded guilty. Mr Young said Crowe had been drinking in a hotel for some hours, and was under the influence of alcohol when the offence occurred.

A man came into the hotel and said he was selling his stereo equipment as he was going either to Auckland or Australia, he said. The defendant’s attitude was that the goods could have either been stolen or they could be genuine, but it seemed a good deal at the time. The Magistrate said that when -he was first on the Bench persons who were charged with receiving received substantial prison sentences, but things had since been organised so that offenders could remain in the

community but under discipline, like periodic detention. The defendant was 35 years old and a first offender, and the $350 paid for the stereo system had probably been lost, the Magistrate said. BEER THEFT A young man who kept his car running while other persons loaded stolen eartons of beer into it, was convicted on a charge of theft and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within one year.

He is Neville Albert Dick, aged 20, a sickness beneficiary, who pleaded guilty.

Sergeant Rowe said that about 8 p.m. on Wednesday several persons were disturbed as they were taking cartons of beer from an unlocked shed at the rear of the Ramada Inn. The defendant’s car was seen to move off. When interviewed by the police later in the evening, Dick admitted having helped to transport some stolen beer to a city flat.

Sergeant Rowe said that Dick had been very co-operative and had assisted the police to recover most of the beer

The beer stolen was valued at $131.60.

The Magistrate said that he took into account that Dick had been co-operative, had assisted in recovering the beer, and that he had a family to support. Two other persons who appeared on a similar charge of theft were remanded to June 26 without plea. BURGLARY Paul Maunel, aged 22, a forestry worker, was convicted and fined $3OO, ordered to do 100 hours community work and put on probation for 18 months on a charge of burglary. On May 27, Maunel was seen in Madras Street carrying a stereo set, valued at $l5O, the property of John Raymond Williams. The Magistrate said in sentencing Maunel: “The home should remain inviolate as it is one of the few institutions left in this, the modern society.” DISQUALIFIED DRIVING John Francis Ayers, aged 20, a steward, was sentenced to four months periodic detention and was disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for two years on charges of driving while dis qualified and riding a motorcycle, while not wearing a safety helmet securely fastened He had pleaded guilty. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL

Paul Francis Roberts, aged 23, a farmer (Mr M. J. French), who appeared for sentence on a charge of driving W’ith an excessive blood-alcohol level (251 mg was fined $lOO put on probation for 18 months, ordered to do 100 hours of community work, and disqualified from driving for 18 months. He had pleaded guilty. DRIVING OFFENCES Foster Raharuhi, aged 22, a blacksmith, was convicted and fined $6O and disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for three months on charges of carelessly using a motor-car and failing to stop after an accident.

He was convicted and dis-

charged on a charge of failing to report an accident. lit pleaded guilty to ah charges

Sergeant Rowe said tha>. on February 27 at 10.14 pm. th< defendant was driving east along Beaiey Avenue He veered left and collided with a van which was parked correctly. The van's side door was torn off. The defendant did not stop He continued driving and was noticed by a traffic officer to be driving without anv uead lights on

The officer followed him into Woodham Road and stopped aim It was noticed the left front guard was dented and It was fresh damage. When questioned on May 8 by the police, the defendant stated he could not remember the acci dent.