Detention for robbery role

Press, Volume CXV, Issue 33965, 4 October 1975, Page 17

Detention for robbery role

An ••amiable, softhearted man” who drove a getaway car in a street robbery, in which an elderly woman was knocked down and had her handbag snatched, was sentenced by Mr Justice Casey in the Supreme Court yesterday to six months periodic detention.

The man, Stanley Tumokaha Nelson, aged 22. a forklift driver, had been found guilty by a jury on a charge of robbing Mrs Susannah Edwards of a handbag and contents, valued at $4O Mr R. J. Murfitt, for the prisoner, said that robbery' was a serious crime but this was not the most serious example. No weapon was used and the amount of violence involved was not great. The woman suffered no real injuries. The offence was not really planned and Nelson was only on the 1 fringes of it. He had no knowledge of who was going to be robbed. The offence occurred at 5.30 p.m. on a

Saturday in the heart of the city.

Nelson was strongly attached to his younger brother who had been sent to Borstal for his part in the robbery. Nelson was an amiable and soft-hearted person. None, of his convictions related to dishonesty and this was an isolated lapse.

Counsel submitted that Nelson should be put on ■probation and ordered to do 'community work. His Honour said that it was clear from the evidence that Nelson had played a substantial part in the robbery. He had only been in Christchurch a few days when he was joined by a younger brother and his friend. They were having “an afternoon on the town” [when they became short of money and there was a hastily concocted scheme to [“roll” someone. The bag was snatched .from a woman in New Reagent Street by Nelson’s brother. Because of the spir-j lited action of a young man ,the bag tvas recovered after ; the offenders were chased, i Nelson had threatened one .person.

“This was juvenile and irresponsible behaviour for a man of 22. While it is clear that you drove the car the robbery could not have been

carried out without your cooperation,” his Honour said. Nelson had a favourable and sympathetic probation officer’s report and he had not been in serious trouble before. It had been said that his soft heart had led him into the robbery. He accepted that the financial problems Nelson had were due to the hospitality he gave to his family and friends but he had to accept responsibility for running his own life. Hospitality was an excellent trait but when it reached a point where he was tempted into crime to maintain it, it was getting out of control. Normally the offence would involve a prison term but he was going to give Nelson a last chance by keeping him in the community, his Honour said.

Environment award.—Tikipunga High School, Whangarei, has been chosen for this year’s Mobil environmental award out of several hundred applications from ail over New Zealand. Its project was an investigation of water quality in the Whangarei area.—(P.A.)