Man hit policeman after hearing

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34128, 14 April 1976, Page 9

Man hit policeman after hearing

A man who broke his Ide facto wife's nose was 'sentenced to three months imprisonment by (Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The man, Daniel William Wairepo. aged 23, a driver, had pleaded guilty to charges of assaulting his wife and assaulting Constable M. J. Neild. The assault on the constable happened in the Magistrate’s Court on Friday after evidence had been ( given on the severity of I Wairepo’s attack on his de- ; facto wife. ! Sergeant M. E. Paton said that after the defendant had been convicted he demanded to see his wife. This was not allowed. He had then become abusive saying he despised the police and was not going to be hetd in custody. He had then punched the constable in the mouth, causing a cut lip and putting him off work for 24 hours. The defendant was detained by a sergeant and I placed in the cells. Counsel (Mr T. Sisson) said that the defendant was an extremely volatile young man. The first assault occurred when the defendant had been drinking heavily. Counsel added that the defendant had been in prison or Borstal for six years since 1967. The Magistrate sentenced the defendant to three I months imprisonment for asi saulting his wife and one month for assaulting the constable, the terms to be concurrent. BOOKMAKING A man who accepted bets from friends in a hotel because it was too late to get to the T.A.8., was fined $lOO on a charge of bookmaking. He is Albert Thomas Panther, aged 56. a rubber worker, who pleaded guilty. Senior-Sergeant W. Gibbs said that at 2.40 p in. on April 5 a police patrol called at His Lordship's Hotel. Lichfield Street. They found the defendant with the racing pages of a newspaper on which were nine bets recorded against horses racing on the West Coast. The defendant admitted taking bets from friends, said SeniorSergeant Gibbs. He said he had been doing it occasionally for a number of years in order to recoup his own betting losses.

Senior-Sergeant Gibbs said that : the police found $347 on Pan- ’ ther. I Counsel (Mr K. N. Hampton) i said that the defendant admitted having been engaged in bookmaking about the time of the last war. On April 5 he had been to listen to Sir Thomas Skinner in Cathedral Square and then gone to the hotel. He and his friends had talked about going to the T.A.B. to lay bets but the time had “slipped away.” Because it was too late to get r to the T.A.B. the defendant offered to take the bets, said Mr Hampton. There was only about $l9 involved, the rest of the money found by the police being part of three wage packets. Two of the wage packets had been unopened. HASHISH CHARGES John Flynn, aged 20. a workman. was convicted and fined a total of $lOO on charges of possessing hashish and permitting his car to be used for smoking ; hashish. i The defendant pleaded not 1 guilty to the possession charge , and guilty to the smoking > charge. Constable W. R Jamieson I said in evidence that while on patrol in Cambridge Terrace he passed a black car in which a passenger ducked down suspiciously. He had then gone to the car and tapped on the front window. “When the window was wound down. I smelt what I thought was burning cannabis/* witness said. A search of the car was made and cannabis and hashish were found. When questioned at the central police station all three occupants of the car had denied having narcotics, said witness. Constable R. K. Riwaka said in evidence that the defendant, in his statement, admitted smoking a mixture of cannabis and hashish. , . Counsel (Mr M. J. Glue) submitted that the prosecution had proved that the defendant smoked the narcotic, but not that he was the possessor of the drug. He said that the defendant’s I companions had both pleaded .’guilty to possession charges. The Magistrate said that the defendant and friends were involved in a “joint enterprise’’ and he therefore found the possession charge proved. BORSTAL A young man who had a pattern of offending that extended back 10 years was sentenced to Borstal training on a charge of burgling a Ridhmond house. The Magistrate said that John Frederick King, aged 20. an unemployed fish splitter, had been given chances to reform but had still offenced. He had been given probation several times and had been sent to the Rolleston Detention Centre in 1975. Since nis release from the detention centre in September he had been also given a suspended sentence. “Here is a person who is to a large extent adrift and for his own reformation and for prevention of crime, he should be given a custodial sentence,” the Magistrate said. Counsel (Miss J. Manson) said that King, who had pleaded i guilty to the charge, had gone

to the house to recover some ! clothing. However, he had climbed in and also taken a radio on the suggestion of another person. Miss Manson said that the defendant’s offending largely stemmed from his background. He was also easily taken advantage of and this was borne out by his supporting himself and a girlfriend on only his unemployment benefit “He appears to be a bom victim, to be dragged down by his associates,” said counsel. STOI-E WOOD Two men who ran out of firewood and helped themselves from a timber-yard nearby, were each convicted and fined $3O on a charge of theft. Graham Anthony McLaughlin, i aged 19, a mechanic, and Gary

Mark Smith, aged 17, a chassis straightener, both pleaded guilty. Senior-Sergeant Gibbs said that about 7 p.m. on April 12 the defendants were seen in the vard of Odlins, Ltd, filling a sack with off-cuts When questioned the defendants had admitted the offence, saying they wanted the wood for a fire. SUSPENDED SENTENCE Glenis May Aitken, aged 17. ( unemployed, was convicted and given a six month suspended I sentence on a charge of stealing a book of deposit slips, valued at. $l. She pleaded guilty. (Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M.) FINE AND PROBATION Michael David Keenan was convicted on charges of unlawfully • taking a ear and unlawfully takling a caravan.

The defendant, aged 19. an apprentice carpenter. had 1 pleaded not guilty to taking a $3500 caravan but admitted the' charge of unlawfully taking an j $ll9O car. He was lined $5O. dis- 1 qualified from driving for six! months, and put on probation! for 12 months. Sergeant R. H. Prouting told the Court that after an incident in Cathedral Square when the defendant's car keys were confiscated by the police. Keenan and two associates decided thex would go and find another car. They walked around until one of them found an unlocked vehicle and thex drove off in it. Thex then decided to take a caravan and drove round for a while before stopping beside the first they came to. Keenan's asso- i ciates hitched the caravan to the back of the car and the three went to the Waimakariri • River where thex were appre-j bended by police after the carj and caravan got stuck in gravel on the river bank. Counsel for the defendant (Mr i N. R. Davidson i said that although Keenan did not drive the ■ car at any time he knew that it • was unlawfullx taken. Concern-* ing the caravan incident, however. Mr Davidson said that his client had not been in favour of! taking it and had tried to talk ' his associates out of the idea.