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MAGISTRATE’S COURT ‘Incorrigible professional burglar’ receives maximum gaol term
A man described as an “incorrigible professional burglar" was sentenced to the maximum term that! can be imposed by a magistrate when he appeared in the Christchurch Magistrate's Court yesterday.
The Magistrate (Mr iW. F. Brown, S.M.) said; “You are an incorrigible professional burglar and the only possible sentence I can impose is a substantial term to punish you and to let other burglars know the penalties they can expect.” The defendant, Larry Hemi j Matthews, aged 25, a car- [ penter, was appearing for sentence on a charge of burIgling the West Melton Taviern on July 14. He was sentenced to three years imprisonment. Matthews was also sentenced to concurrent terms of six months imprisonment on charges of being in possession of instruments of burglary and instruments of car conversion and of attempting to unlawfully take a car valued at $l7OO, the property of Leo Francis Mackie. He was sentenced to a concurrent term of three months on a charge of dangerous driving and was disqualified from driving for five years. He was convicted and discharged on a charge of being unlawfully itj a garden.
Mr P. J. Rutledge, for the de-i fendant. said that Matthews had] had only five months of freedom!
(during the last three years. He l had formed an association with I a woman which had a stabilising ■ effect on him. ; Burglary was rife in Christ- ! church and was getting worse, the Magistrate said. At the end of May Matthews was released (from prison after serving a term •of three years for burglary, and ■within a very short time he eraI barked on another series of I offences. ■ At 2.15 a.m. on July 14 Matthews and his co-offender .broke intq the West Melton Tavern by forcing a side window with a jemmy. They then (rifled the pool tables and the ( cigarette machine and stole $344.50. most of which had been ■ recovered. To escape after committing the burglary Matthews had run • out of the tavern and drove off at high speed in a van. Then followed a chase of more than I 13 miles by police patrol‘cars at speeds of up to 75 miles an hour, the Magistrate said. When the police tried to stop > the van Matthews swerved the ! vehicle violently from one side of the road to the other and a serious accident almost occurred. In Moorhouse Avenue three police cars formed a wedge—one in front and two on either side — around the' van. ■ Matthews sw-ung the van onto the footpath and drove along it , at 35 miles an hour. He turned left into Selwyn Street and drove on the footpath at an even higher speed. He then drove across the gut- ■ ter. lost control of the van 1 which struck the gutter on the opposite side of the street and; was arrested. This was one of the worst cases of dangerous driving which! had ever come before him. the] Magistrate said. It showed the' length to which Matthews would I go to commit serious crime and: to try to escape. EXCESS BLOOD-ALCOHOL ; i The following penalties were (imposed on charges of driving
el with an excessive blood-alcohol h! level. All defendants pleaded gj guilty. Graeme Robert Gibb <lBsmg) . I was fined 8175 and disqualified ■J from driving for 12 months; John dlAwatapu Herewini (180 mg $125 di and nine months; Dennis Brunt n (207mg>. $175 and 18 months, d I (Before Mr F. G. Paterson. S.M.) i-1 f! FIVE CHARGES A man who ran up bills totalfiling more than $l5O in three r Christchurch motels between the n end of July and the middle of i- August, and then left without ti paying, was convicted and e remanded to September 10. A e I psychiatric report was ordered, a Mervyn John Harkness, aged 29. an unemployed barman, 3 pleaded guilty to two charges of 3 obtaining credit by a false pref tence, one of obtaining credit „ by a fraud, and two of theft. n | Detective Sergeant Mudt diman, said that the defendant . jhad stolen his mother’s television ’(set and sold it. He had then come to Christchurch where he p had stayed in the motels, under ? assumed names, stealing $lB “ worth of property from one of , them. 1 When interviewed by the police, the defendant was very e co-operative. He had no explanation other than that he needed r psychiatric treatment. FORGERY t A 44-year-old woman who ap--1 neared on 45 charges of forging B cheques totalling more than n $33,000 was remanded without plea to September 17 Her name was suppressed. I STOLE CHARITY MONEY a One of a group of youths who II retained money the group had (collected for Braille Week and tithen divided among themselves I pleaded guilty to a charge of e I theft of $4. the property of the 51 Royal New Zealand Foundation II for the Blind. His name was sup- ' '■ pressed. Detective Sergeant Muddiman (said that on July 26 the defend- : ant and four others went, collecti ing for the blind as part of t Braille Week. Before starting " their collection they discussed the fact that they were short of money, and decided to steal some. ( After collecting, they removed some of the envelopes and then returned the collection bags to the collecting point. They then shared the money around the group. The defendant admitted the offence, saying he did not know I why he did it. j The Magistrate adjourned the imatter of conviction until Octo(her 3, subject to the defendant’s ' doing 24 hours of community I work. 28 CHARGES Joseph Richard Fraser, aged 149, an unemployed contractor, (pleaded guilty to 24 charges of (burglary, one charge of theft, (and three charges of incurring la debt by false pretence. I He was remanded on bail to I September 17. Detective Sergeant Muddiman (said the defendant had been 'located between Reeft.on and I Greymouth on July 16. He said that all the burglaries had taken (place in farming communities. INDECENT ACT I a 44-year-old man. whose! I name was suppressed. was I placed on probation lor 12 i months with the special condiI tion that he undertake family I counselling as directed when he I appeared for sentence on a I charge of doing an indecent act | | upon another male. He was also fined $250 to ( mark “the disgust and dis- ■ pleasure of the community.” I Counsel, Mr J. G. Fogarty, (said the defendant did not I regard himself as a homosexual. ; and was embarrassed and ! shocked about the whole affair. The Magistrate said he realised that the defendant had been subject to great stresses and strains in his sex life, and that the psychiatrist who examined him bad said it was very unlikely that the offence would be repeated. FALSE PRETENCE A man who as a traveller for a North Island building supply firm bought goods from the Farmers’. Co-operative stores in Christchurch and Fanglora on five occasions, charged them without authority to his employer, the Court was told. I The man, aged 45, pleaded, guilty to five charges of false I pretence involving more than $201). His name was suppressed. He was convicted and I remanded at large until Septemi her 10 for sentence. Detective Sergeant Muddiman | said that on three occasions the | defendant purchased quantities I of paint, on one occasion a pair (of shoes, and on the other a | roll of wire-netting which he ! took to Hokitika and sold. The police were notified when the firm denied responsibility for the accounts. When interviewed. the defendant admitted the offences. He said he was using the firm’s Post Office box number as his postal address, and had meant to pay the bills, but did not bother. POSSESSION OF CANNABIS Stephen Robert Smith, aged 125, unemployed, was convicted | and remanded to September 10. j (for sentence on a charge of I ipossessing 32.3 grams of can- ( I nabis. He pleaded guilty to the I charge. Detective Sergeant Muddiman i I said that the defendant wasj ! spoken to by the police in a city ■ j hotel and had 32 sticks of cannabis in his possession. He also had a small amount :of loose cannabis with him. In explanation the defendant ' said he had' bought the sticks | for $2 each and intended using (them himself. BURGLARY
Nicholas John Shirley, aged
17, Steven Duffell. aged 17, and Grant Andrew McKay, aged 18.1 were all convicted and | remanded to September 12 for: sentence on a charge of burg-1 lary. They all pleaded guilty. Detective Sergeant Muddiman said that the premises of I Patience and Nicholson were! entered between August 16 and! 17 and cigarettes and money to the value of $lOO were taken. When interviewed by the police all three defendants admitted the offence. Two had taken screwdrivers with them in order to break in. Some of the cigarettes had been sold and the rest were smoked. DRUNKENNESS George Patrick Shannon, agedj 36, was convicted and sentenced | to one month’s imprisonment on: a charge of being found drunk! in a public place. He pleaded! guilty. Detective Sergeant Muddiman said that the defendant was found dnmk in a city theatre on September 2 while It was being used by members of the public. The defendant, he said, had been convicted of drunkenness four times in the last six months. The Magistrate said that the defendant was nothing more than a "‘perfect pest” and a drying out period was needed. BURGLARY A man who burgled another man’s room while they were both staying at the Otago Seafarers’ Centre in Dunedin, on July 18, was convicted and remanded to September 16 for Neil Welby Canty, aged 44, unemployed, pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking and entering. Detective Sergeant Muddiman said the defendant entered the room Using a key he had in his possession. He took a stereo unit and an overnight bag to a total value of $620. The defendant was later inter-; viewed in Greymouth and hei freely admitted the offence. Hei had sold the property in a hotel to a stranger, said Detective Sergeant Muddiman. BORSTAL TRAINING Michael John Woodley, aged 18, unemployed, was sentenced to Borstal training when he appeared for sentence on a charge of breaking and entering St Mary of the Angels Church, Wellington, on July 11. He had previously pleaded guilty and been convicted. The Court had previously heard that the defendant broke into the church and took two transistor radios and $l5 in cash. He sold the radios in Picton for $5O. For the defendant. Mr M. J.: Glue said that Woodley was
“quite destitute” at the time of! the offence, which had been : committed for survival. PROBATION Hazel Margaret Sim, aged 18. I a machinist, was fined $5O and put on probation for 12 months, when she appeared for sentence. She had previously pleaded guilty, and been convicted, on a charge of false pretence. The Court had previously been ! told that the defendant cashed a cheque for $lOO under the ! name of the Brian Hepburn Social Club. ! The Magistrate said that it was ;an unfortunate case, where the (defendant had got into the wrong type of company and ; found herself on the wrong side; |of the law. RECEIVING ' ( Kerry John Bond aged 18. a; mill hand, was convicted and: remanded on bail to September I' 10 for sentence when he pleaded! 1 guilty to a charge of receiving!; cutting equipment valued at $4BO, i, the property of Golcrum Hay-!' ward, Ltd. ! Detective Sergeant Muddiman 1 1 said the defendant was offered!, the equipment by a friend for|< $5O. He was told it was stolen. (| With a co-offender. the defendant I 1 went to an address to pick up|( the gear, and took it to the co-|] offender’s house. He told the police they in- j! tended using it to build beach-! buggies, said Detective Sergeant 1 1 Muddiman. (Before Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M.) IMPRISONMENT Daniel William Wairepo, aged I 22, an unemployed driver, was ) sentenced to five months im- ' prisonment and disqualified from ’ driving for six months when he '• appeared for sentence on three charges. 1 Wairepo (Mr M. J. Glue) had : pleaded guilty to charges of '• stealing a ear, valued at $lOOO. ' driving while disqualified and I being a rogue and a vagabond.; in that he was found by night' 1 on the roof of a building. (< Mr Glue asked that the Magis-ll irate impose a penalty short ofjl imprisonment. Wairepo’s be-if haviour had been affected byii alcohol and the charge of being: < a rogue and vagabond was not a; serious one of its kind. Mr Glue 11 said. The Magistrate noted that two it of the offences had been com-11
I mitted while the defendant was ( lon bail. I: Wairepo had an alcohol prob- ( ■!lem, and had failed to respond • Ito probation, he said. Tile Magistrate sentenced Wai-1 i i repo to a further period of pro- ( libation, to follow the prison sen- ■ fence and ordered that he take; II out a prohibition order. 1 ; PERIODIC DETENTION Phillip Hae Hae Phillips, aged ( 35, a labourer, was sentenced to ( five months periodic detention ( and disqualified from driving for ! 18 months after being convicted ! on charges of driving while disqualified and driving with an I excessive blood-alcohol level i (296 mg I Phillips (Mr D. I. Jones), had II pleaded guilty. Both charges .(arose from the same incident on (June 12, PROBATION I Steve Peters, aged 29, was con-1 ( victed and put on 12 months pro-1 ( bation, disqualified from driving] ; for 18 months, fined $2O and ( ordered to take out a prohibition j order against himself, when he j appeared for sentence on four driving charges. He had earlier pleaded guilty to charges of driving with an excessive blood-alcohol level ' (2O4mg), refusing to accompany 1 a traffic officer to a police station, exceeding the speed limit and driving when not the holder , of a driver’s licence. 1 (Before Mr B. A. Palmer, S.M.) THEFT CHARGES Patrick Douglas Michael ■ Cavenagh, aged 31, was convicted and put on 12 months probation on three charges of theft when he appeared for sentence. He had earlier pleaded guilty to the' charges. Sergeant T. Moore said that I on August 4 the defendant went I to two Christchurch jewellers’' shops. While at ope of them,; Watson’s jewellers, the defend(ant was shown a selection of I watches, of which he took two! I when the assistant had turned I away. The other theft occurred when the defendant visited the Curtis Ring House where he took a pair of earrings from a window display and put them in his pocket. He was later apprehended in Cashel Street with the stolen property. The Magistrate said that it was obvious the defendant had had a difficult upbringing and added that alcohol was obviously a factor in the offending.
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Bibliographic details
Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33939, 4 September 1975, Page 5
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2,476MAGISTRATE’S COURT ‘Incorrigible professional burglar’ receives maximum gaol term Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33939, 4 September 1975, Page 5
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MAGISTRATE’S COURT ‘Incorrigible professional burglar’ receives maximum gaol term Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33939, 4 September 1975, Page 5
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.