MAGISTRATE'S COURT Soldier tells of beating before crash

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33878, 25 June 1975, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT Soldier tells of beating before crash

A man told the Magistrate’s Court yesterday that he had been so severely assaulted that he could not remember the events which had resulted in his being charged with two traffic offences.

He is John Greig Atkinson. aged 42, a soldier (Mr M. J. Glue), who pleaded not guilty to charges of carelessly using a car and driving with an excessive blooda’.cohol level.

Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M., dismissed the charges. Constable 11. A. McLaughlin said that about 4 a.m. on November 21 he and Constable P. M. Deazley

attended an accident between two cars on the Main South Road. One car appeared abandoned, and two men, both unconscious, were in the front seat of the other. Atkinson was in the driver’s seat. Constable Deazley said he revived Atkinson, who said the police were not needed as there was nothing wrong. The other person, a Maori, was put into an ambulance and Atkinson slid across the front seat and got out of the passenger’s door. He said it had been a “good party,” said Constable Deazley. Constable McLaughlin said Atkinson smelled of alcohol and his speech was slurred. He had “quite a lot” of blood about his face. There was blood splattered about the car. In evidence Atkinson said he had gone to Kaiapoi on an errand. On the way back to Christchurch he stopped at a hotel for a drink. He was invited to join a group of four others at a table.

Atkinson said he agreed to give them a lift to a party on the outskirts of Kaiapoi. He went inside with them. Soon after, one of the group, a Maori, became abusive and made it known what he thought of the Army. Atkinson said the Maori hit him on the eye with the back of his hand and continued to assault him for 10 minutes to 15 minutes. His glasses were knocked off and his face was so swollen he could not put them back on. The Maori asked for Atkinson’s car keys and then drove away in the car. Atkinson said he went outside and soon after the

Maori came back. He pushed; his arm up behind him and said, “Come on, we are going; for a ride.” The defendant said he was; pushed on to the back seat.'; His nose was bleeding, and he passed out. When he came to he was', asked by the Maori to get; into the passenger seat, ‘ which he did. He heard it mentioned that they were; going to Hornby, and hepassed out again. Atkinson said he could' then not remember anything! until he was being removed! from the car by the police.' He said when questioned in' hospital that the Maori youth I had said the incident’ was' not possible as he could not; drive. Atkinson said it would bej a physical impossibility for;; him to drive the car without! his glasses, as he was ex- ' tremely short-sighted. In dismissing the charges , the Magistrate said the constable at the scene had not - asked Atkinson when he j recovered consciousness whether he had been driving ' the car. It raised the question of I whether Atkinson was the) driver of the car or if her was planted there by some- 1 : body else, he said. FINED $75 Pauline Wilma Kildey, aged 22. ■; a sales representative, was con- I victed and fined $75 on two'' charges of theft, involving a; transistor radio and clothing to; a total value of $6B She pleaded not guilty. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL j Man James Griffiths, a barman. was put on probation for ; 12 months, ordered to do 50 ; hours of community work and ; disqualified from driving for 18 : months when he appeared for sentence on a charge of driving . with an excessive blood-alcohol ! level (202 mg. on April 17. h He was also convicted and dis-;, charged on a charge of having I ro driver’s licence. OFFENSIVE WEAPONS !' Bryan Robert Darrell, aged 17,1' was convicted and put on probation for 12 months on a charge i of possessing In a public place ' an offensive weapon, a spiked > chain. He pleaded guilty. !i Warner Richard Scott was convicted and placed on probation for 12 months on a charge of having, without lawful excuse, a ' knife in a public place. He' pleaded not guilty. • Before Mr K. H. J. Headifen, ij S.M.) I; DETENTION CENTRE John Frederick King, aged 19• (Mr G. M. Brodie', who had earl-f. ter pleaded guilty to a charge of;, failing to report for periodic detention. was sentenced to deten- ! tion centre training. Mr Brodie said that the de-|. fendant was ill-adjusted to society : and was very poorly equipped! to deal with it. “It may seem trite to say that, this man forgot to go to periodic • detention, but in view of the! medical -hortcomings he faces , this might not be so.” counsel, said. ■' The Magistrate said that since coming before the Magistrate’s| Court when aged 18. the defend i ant had been charred with theft. I burglars-, theft, burglars-, break- i ( ins glass, wilful damage, theft.!, being on licensed premises, giv-j tng a false fire alarm, taking sis- I hic'-cles, receiving, breaking h bottles and not attending! pe-'odtc detention twice. I 1 "This list cannot be described! a< a series of petty offences,” he l sa'd. ' The defendant had been p”*! on probation, for the fourth || time, in September. 1974. and!, ►entenced to ju'-eni’e periodic d“tention in April. 1975. but he I' refused to attend twice, th* | • Magistrate said. “This shows an;, absence of discipline.” ATTEMPTED BURGLARY ■! One of two youths who tried J

to break into Day’s Hamburger Bar, High Street, Rangiora, on June 6, w as fined $75 on a charge of attempted burglary . He is David lan Stevens, aged 18, a forestry worker (Mr K. J. Osborn), who had pleaded guilty. Mr Osborn submitted that the defendant had been seated in

the car most of the time and - that his associate had done most of the work. The Magistrate said that he noted that Stevens had gone to I the police and admitted the ■ offence. PROBATION A girl of 17 was put on 18 months probation on a charge of 1 telephoning the St John Ambu-. lance and wilfully giving a fictitious message that a child of: two had taken an overdose of 1 I pills at the Waltham School on : June 9. She is Kathleen Margaret Stringer, a sickness beneficiary, who had pleaded guilty. The Magistrate said that the defendant had a considerable number of personal problems, including below-normal intelligence. (Before Mr N. F. Brown, S.M.) ESCAPING CHARGE , A youth who escaped from : - Rolleston Detention Centre on; : June 23 was convicted and re-1 . manded in custody to June 27■ (for sentence. He is Miles Jona- 1 , thon McAndrew, aged 18, who; pleaded guilty to a charge of > escaping from custody. I Detective Sergeant M. J.: 1 Muddiman said that McAndrew; I was sentenced to detention centre training by the Dunediri : Magistrate’s Court on June 9. At Rolleston on June 23, about ! 10.35 a.m., he was sent by a warder to get a broom but he climbed over a fence and escaped. I He was found at 1.30 p.m. on ! the same day three miles away . trying to hitch-hike to Dunedin. In explanation he had said I he did not like being at the! . centre and had a lot of per-: sonal problems. Mr A. F. W. Wilding, for the j defendant, said the offence was i l committed on the spur of the I moment. “He was at large for; only two hours.” The Magistrate, when remanding McAndrew in custody, said it . would be a good Idea if he saw what a prison was like. ASSAULT Brent Lloyd Atkinson, aged 18. an apprentice carpenter, was fined $5O on a charge of assaulting Gordon Alexander Sparks on May 10. He pleaded guilty. Detective Sergeant Muddiman said that about 12.5 p.m. on May I 10 two cars pulled up at the corner of Conference Street and ; Montreal Street. A person got ; out of the car and scuffled with the complainant. The defendant then got out of ■I the car and Intervened in the iscuffle. He later told the police! . that he had intervened because the complainant had tried to! I punch his friend. Damage of $25 was done to ;!the complainant’s clothes. :i BURGLARY

A youth who broke into a house in Hereford Street had left some of his clothes behind ! after trying on others he found I in a bedroom. Detective Sergeant I Muddiman said. The youth. Daniel Slater Smith aged 17, unemployed, pleaded guilty to a charge of 'burgling the house of Mr D. ,Moremore and was remanded in custody to July 1 for sentence. Detective Sergeant Muddiman said that about 10 a.m. on June i 7 Smith opened a window of the house, climbed in. and then j opened the back door for an associate. I Smith then entered a bedroom and tried on some sand shoes and a shirt, leaving his own (clothes behind. He was later (apprehended In Cashel Street. THREW BOTTLES i A youth who threw two beer bottles from a moving car was ifined a total of $lOO on two charges of depositing dangerous I litter. He is Willie Karena, aged 18. an apprentice (Mr P. G. Benseman), who pleaded guilty. Detective Sergeant Muddiman ,'said that while travelling in a I car on Greers Road, about 9.50 p.m. on January' 31, Karena had thrown a bottle at another car. Shortly afterwards he had thrown another bottle from the car in Gregan Crescent. Mr Benseman said that Karena i had not thrown the bottle at I the car. He had opened the back door and the bottle would have hit the road before it hit the complainant’s car. In Gregan Crescent, the bottle ; had ended up on the footpath, counsel said. He asked the i Magistrate to consider that (Karena had been drinking and I had been with some boisterous friends. DANGEROUS LITTER Kevin Henry Coxon. aged 23.1 j was convicted and fined $3O oh : I a charge of depositing dangerous j litter at Queenstown on De-| cember 28. He pleaded guilty. STOLE TOWELLING , Tw-o men who pleaded guilty] to a charge of stealing a roll of towelling from a bath-house were! fined $4O. They are Christopher John Patterson, aged 18, a labourer. 1 and Phillip James Patterson, aged 20, an attendant (Mr A. F. W Wilding). Detective Sergeant Muddiman said that between May 29 and June 5 the two defendants were leaving a bath-house when they saw a roll of towelling, valued at $ll at the bottom of some i stairs. They put the roll in their •car. where the police found it ion June 23. ' Mr Wilding submitted that the defendants had seen the roll and taken it on the spur of the l moment. It had been just a “bit! of a prank,” counsel said. ATTEMPTED THEFT Christopher Paul Hodgkins, j aged 33, an unemployed seaman; <Mr M. J. Glue), was fined $5Ol •on a charge of attempting to I steal a leather jacket, valued at I $144. from Beaths. Ltd, on June • 20. He pleaded guilty. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL ; On a charge of driving with! lan excessive blood-alcohol level] • (208 mg on Waimairi Road on > •April 3. Allan Edward Faass. aged 32, a warehouseman (Mr P. J. Rutledge), was fined $lOO land disqualified from driving for ilB months. He pleaded guilty. Nuclear accord Brazil and West Germany will soon sign a nuclear co-: operation agreement expected to lead to nuclear energy [contracts worth abou’ i 10.000 million mark|(sNZ322om). The agreement [foresees the erection over] [the next 15 years of eight! nuclear power stations, a! I nuclear fuel plant, a uranium I : ’nrichment plant based on ■ I the separation jet process, land a pilot plant for re- [ processing spent-fuel eleiments. The European ComI mission in Brussels must still [approve the agreement, but! Government sources in Bonn: regard this as certain— i Bonn, June 20. I