MAGISTRATE'S COURT Drug deal ended in robbery attempt

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34046, 9 January 1976, Page 5

MAGISTRATE'S COURT Drug deal ended in robbery attempt

During a phoney drug deal one man pointed an air pistol at another man and asked tor a bag containing Mr N. L. Bradford. S.M.. heard in the Magistrate's Court yesterday. However, the man with ~~e none} ran off. managing t< elude the man with the pistol. Before the Court was Robin Francis Glen, aged 23. a Mine steward, who pleaded gui't> to a charge of attempting to rob Michael Twist of $4200 on Johns H >ad on November 29 The defendant was con- ’ icted and remanded in custody to today for -entente. Sergeant J R. Palmer told rhe Court that on November as associate from Wellington telephoned Glen and said e ad a friend who wanted to bus 2uoo cannabis sticks. three weeks later Gien • -t another call from his a-ssocia’e who said he and h s friend would be down; buy -ome can-! At 1 p.m. the next day! <»ler went to the airport and met his associate and Mr 1 wist. Glen had never met Nir Twist before but he, -new t his involvement in rhe drug scene, said Ser-, geant Palmer. Glen wanted to take his associate to another place to complete the deal, but Mr) Twist objected on the ground that he was the per---n paying and therefore should be involved Glen finally took Mr* Twist to Johns Road to get the cannabis from some bushes. When thev were hall

was between the car and the trusties, Glen went back to the car and got from under a seat a revolver that fired l ad pellets. The defendant then approached Mr Twist Mid asked for the bag that contained $4200. Ihe complainant hesitated before running off into the bush, taking the money with him. Sergeant Palmer said that Mr Twist eventually got to rhe farmhouse and rang for a taxi to take him back to the airport. Glen, when questioned by the police, had admitted the • >t fence and said he had intended to take the money as there had never been any annabis stick- in the first p ace. Counsel t Mr R. .1. Murfitt) told the Magistrate that he would be urging that the sentence be one of periodic detention. HIT BY SHOT A Christchurch youth who fired a .22 calibre air rifle at three boys in Nelson later told the police that he had thought the gun empty, said Sergeant Palmer One of the boys was struck on the shoulder. The youth. Maxwell John Granger, aged 17. an apprem ’ice butcher, pleaded guilty to a charge of discharging a -•fie in a manner likely to injure or endanger others. He a:-o pleaded guilty to a charge of attempting t<j -teal money from a coin col’ection box the same day, December 28 The rifle incident occurred about 11 p.m said Sergeant Palmer. The defendant was a passenger in a car when he fired the air rifle The car then left and returned some minutes later when a second youth fired two more shots. When questioned by the police, the defendant had .-aid the boys had been giving cheek and one of them had thrown a stone. He had

thought the gun empty when he pulled the trigger. The attempted theft was of a coin collection box at an observation point on. Princess Drive. The money in the box. estimated at $5. • was to have gone io thei New Zealand foundation for the blind, said Sergeant Palmer. The defendant and another; youth had unsuccessfully! tried to get at the money' by using bolt cutters. Granger; later told -he police that he wanted the money to help him on his holiday SEVEN BURGLAKIES A 17-year-old boy pleaded guilty i to heven charges of burglars, one of receiving and another of theft Mervyn William Beard, unemployed. was convicted on all charges and remanded In cusI tody to January 9 for a proba-J ' tion report and sentence During October and November,! ; Beard and others broke into sixi ’ shops, and stole cash, jewellery, cutlery and othei things to a total value of more than $7OO. said Sergeant Palmer. The premises were mostly' entered b\ breaking windows or a skylight. Tie and another per-i son also broke into the Salvation Army Citadel about November 17 and stole a vase worth. $23 On November 14. Beard received a pair of sunglasses from a female friend, knowing that thev had been stolen. On November 20, he and several other* crowded round a pinball machine in a fun parlour, and after they left it was noticed that it had been rifled - Beard was questioned by the, police on December 28, and admitted all the offences DOMESTIC ASSAULT Because his wife had gone out. to work, against his wishes, a; Kaiapoi man had hit her while he was drunk and called her names, the Court beard. The man. whose name was suppressed, was convicted and put on probation for 12 months' and ordered to do 100 hour* of

community work on a charge of assault. He pleaded guilty Sergeant Palmer >aid that the police had been called to the residence after the defendant had come home drunk and had begun abusing his wife. He had punched his wife and threatened to kill her. When .questioned b.\ the police the defendant denied hitting the woman, saying he could not • remember. Counsel (Mr D. M. Palmer) ; said that the incident was a culmination of events between the couple. The defendant had not. wanted his wife to go working in the evening. Counsel submitted that drink had motivated the offence and i that the relationship between the defendant and the woman was disintegrating. TOOK TRUCK A youth, aged 17, took a truck from Christchurch and drove it to Culverden in order to tow a friend’s car, said Sergeant Palmer. He is John Peter Reuben. a labourer, who. having pleaded ‘guilty to a charge, of unlawfully taking the truck, was convicted) land remanded on bail to January! 115 fro sentence. Reuben and his girlfriend took ♦he truck from Moorhouse Avenue about 10.15 p.m. on January 7. said Sergeant Palmer. The : keys had been on the dashboard. They travelled to Culverden. where they towed a friend’s car! that had broken down some time) before. At. Belfast the truck ; broke down and when the police, found it the couple were still' in it. THEFT AT WAIMATE Stephen Albert Pau] Rogers, aged .18, a soldier, was convicted j and remanded to January 19 on; a charge of stealing a tape recorder. the property of the South! Canterbury Electric Power Board. He pleaded guilty. Sergeant Palmer said that on < December 22, the Waimate police , received a complaint from the ■ power board that a tape recorder • had been stolen some time dur-i ; ing the day. The recorder was later found’ by police in a parked car in Waimate When questioned b\ the police, the defendant admitted the theft, saying that there had been nobody in the shop ( at the time.