MAGISTRATE’S COURT $3000 bail allowed on drug charges

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33929, 23 August 1975, Page 9

MAGISTRATE’S COURT $3000 bail allowed on drug charges

Two of five persons who appeared on narcotics charges were granted bail in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on the condition that they each provide two sureties of $lOOO and $lOOO in their own recognisance.

The two are Rodney Nevill Fawcett, aged 25, an apprentice hairdresser, and John Donald McNeill, aged 21, unemployed. Fawcett is charged with selling heroin, selling cannabis. and possessing cannabis for sale. He was remanded, without plea, to September 1. McNeill elected trial by: jury on a charge of supply-: ing cannabis, and was remanded to October 22 for the taking of depositions. Bail was declined for Walter Raymond Sneesby. aged 25, a jeweller, who elected to defend a charge of supplying cannabis. He was remanded in custody to August 29. The other two persons granted bail are Raymond John Pearce, aged 18, a sheet-metal worker, who is charged with possessing cannabis for sale, and Claire Patricia Fawcett, aged 22, a receptionist, who is charged with selling cannabis. Both were remanded, without plea, to September 1. ASSAULT CHARGES Te Rmga Mangu Mihaka, aged 33. a prison inmate, appeared on two charges of assaulting a prison officer on July 5. He was remanded, without plea, to August 29. On entering the courtroom from the court cells, Mihaka said that he meant no disrespect to the Court but he did not want to enter the dock. He had adopted this attitude since 1973, he said, as a form of protest. "Mr Magistrate, I believe this this system is partially or wholly bad for me and my people,” Mihaka said, in explanation. The Magistrate said: “Well, that's all right, it's a summons matter and you don't have to get into the dock.” SHOPLIFTING A series of thefts from shops in Christchurch on August 21 resulted in the appearance of two young women. Kathleen Emily Lilley, aged 20, pleaded guilty to five charges of theft involving goods of a total value of $73.78. Frances Margaret Susan Te Groen, aged 18, pleaded guilty to five charges involving goods of a total value of $28.11. Sergeant T. Moore said that on August 21, the defendants were detained by the proprietor of Salon Marlene, Gloucester Arcade, and, after being questioned by the police, both admitted stealing rings. Further inquiries by the police showed four other offences by each of the defendants. Goods had been taken from the shops Humpty Dumpty, Lincoln Road; Jon Golly, Lincoln Road; The Hobbitt, Lincoln Road; Hannah's Ltd, Colombo Street; and Mrs Pope Ltd, Armagh Street. Mr R. S. D. Twyneham, for both defendants, said that they we're first offen-

y ders, and that neither was i likely to appear before the 1 Court again. 5 The Magistrate convicted both defendants and ordered i them to come up for sen- ■ tence if called upon within ■ one year. • DRIVING OFFENCES ■ Michael Junior Brennan I aged 22, a prison inmate, j was convicted and sentenced J to one month’s imprisonJment, to be served concurrently with his present sentence, and had his ’ driver's licence cancelled for • 12 months from the time of 1 his release, on a charge of ' failing to ascertain: if anyone ' had been injured after an ac- ’ cident. On a further charge, of ■ careless use of a car, he was ! convicted and discharged. He . pleaded guilty to both ’ charges. > Sergeant Moore said that i the accident had occurred at 1 a hotel car-park in Hamj ilton. A vehicle had rolled ( Over, damaging another. THEFT Peter John Sandri, aged , 17, a factor,' worker, was - convicted and fined $25 on a - charge of stealing a fishing i sinker and a spear-head, val- , ued at $3.16, the property of Smith's City Market, Ltd, on i July 11. He pleaded guilty. ‘ STOLE MONEY > A youth who stole a total » of $29 from his flatmates 5 was convicted on two charges of theft and one of ’ breach of probation, and was > remanded on bail to August ' 22 for sentence. > He is Martin Alex Mogg, i aged 19, a workman, who pleaded guilty. : Sergeant Moore said that i in August, Mogg was flatting i with Paul Alexander Louge- ! son and Peter Hill in Manchester Street. On August 5, he stole $l5 from Mr Hill and a day later stole $l4 ’ from Mr Lougeson. ‘ When questioned by the ' police on August 14, the ’ defendant had admitted the offences, saying that he had • needed money for food and ’ clothing, as he had no im- ’ mediate job. EXCESSIVE ALCOHOL ! - On a charge of • driving • with an excessive bloood- ■ alcohol level (267 mg at 1 ernor’s Bay on June 22, Kevin John Williamson, 1 aged 21, a hospital orderly, 5 who pleaded guilty, was dis- / qualified from driving for 18 • months and put on proba- . tion for a year. <’ As special conditions of 1 probation, he was ordered to do 100 hours of community : work and to attend the Nat- - ional Society for Alcohol a and Drug Dependency. a Mr J. R. Milligan, for the > defendant, said that Williami son's occupation might rule i out periodic detention. He 1 had sold his car. Murray Raymond Bone, ? aged 29, a driver (Mr K. J. McMenamin), was put on , probation for a year, ordered 1 to to 50 hours' of community - work, and disqualified from

s< driving for nine months eiafter pleading guilty to a charge of driving with an j excessive blood-alcoho! level ■j (179 mg on Tedder Avenue . on April 25. 1 (Before Mr W. F. Brown, S.M.) THREATENED TO KILL i Neville John Mason, aged >. 30, a factory hand (Mr D. J. dR. Holdemess), was con- - victed and remanded to Augi- ust 29 for sentence on three t charges of threatening to s kill. He was charged with r threatening to kill Lorraine f Anne Nicoll, Keith Arthur f Nicholl, and Ramon William » Joseph Mason. Evidence had previously been given after the defendf ant had pleaded not guilty. 1 The Magistrate had reserved s his decision. e The Magistrate said that 3 the case had turned into one of credibility of witnesses. t “I found Mrs Mason reliable, t and I believe her,” he said. The submission by Mr d Holderness, that an indirect threat —- such as was made to Deniee Mason about Lorraine and Keith Nicoll —- d did not constitute a threat s to kill, had been without refa erence to a Court of Appeal ? case, which has established - that threats could be made f in this way. i The Magistrate said that he accepted that the defendant had been drinking heavily, and that he did not feel .1 that there had been any real s intent to kill — it was “alo chol talking.” f The Magistrate allowed s Mason bail after an undert taking from him that there would be no contact with the complainants in the o case. (Before Mr B. A. Palmer, t S.M.) ; HAD CANNABIS Stephen Ross Kitto, aged 18, a labourer, was fined $4O 1 on a charge of possessing 4 cannabis on August 8. He had previously pleaded e guilty. e ——