MAGISTRATE'S COURT Imprisonment for seven burglaries

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34146, 6 May 1976, Page 12

MAGISTRATE'S COURT Imprisonment for seven burglaries

A youth who was convicted on seven burglary charges, one of them involving $3OOO worth of goods, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by Mr P. L. Molineaux, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Gavin John Tuira, aged 22, unemployed, had also been convicted on charges of unlawfully taking a car, assault, and failing to report for periodic detention. He was sentenced to 12; months imprisonment fori the $3OOO burglary plus 6 months imprisonment on each of the other burglary charges, to be served concurrently. He was convicted and discharged for failing to report and sentenced to a month’s imprisonment for the assault, to be served concurrently with the 18 month sentence.

The Magistrate said that the burglaries had been committed between April, 1975, and March, 1976. A house and a teachers hostel at Mangakino were burgled on April, 1975, and goods valued at $264 taken.

In October and November of 1975, flats in Hagley Avenue and Coleridge Street, Christchurch, were burgled and goods, valued at $475 taken.

On January 7, goods valued at $3OOO, were taken from a house at Turangi and $9l worth of food and cigarettes were stolen from the Martin Fish Supply in Mangakino. On April 20 the defendant unlawfully took a car from Pukeuri. It was recovered, undamaged, near Timaru. The seventh burglary was committed at Christchurch on April 30.

The assault charge related to an incident at the Imperial Hotel on September 11 when the defendant threw a glass at the manager of the hotel bottle store.

The Magistrate said the offences were impulsive and not the result of planning or premeditation. He said he accepted that there were positive signs in the defendant’s character but because he had already been sentenced to periodic detention on three separate occasions he would have to go to prison for these offences. The defendant was a cooperative man when in a controlled invironment but when he got out of such an environment he did not know how to control himself, said counsel (Mr A. C. Hughes-Johnson). The burglaries at Turangi were committed because the defendant wanted money to get back to Christchurch. The burglaries were not carefully planned with a view to making a lot of money, he said.

“SORRY CASE” A youth who appeared for sentence on seven charges of theft, and charges of receiving, failing to attend detention centre and escaping lawful custody, as ‘‘one of the sorriest cases that had come before the courts in a long time,” said his counsel (Mr A. C. Hughes-Johnson). Brent Lloyd Rubber, aged 18, unemployed, was remanded to May 7 for a medical report for periodic detention. He had pleaded guilty and been convicted on the charges which arose from a spate of offending between February 22, when he failed to report to detention centre, and April 12 when he escaped from custody. A psychiatric report showed only a personality disorder for which there was no medical treatment available said counsel. The defendant had suffered the feeling of being rejected by his family, girlfriend and friends for a very long time. He had been a dejected man at the time of the offending, with no one to turn to, said Mr Hughes-Johnson. The defendant’s behaviour indicated immaturity and a desire for counselling and advice, said the Magistrate. There was no indication of any serious mental disorder but there was no doubt that Rubber was a trouble to himself and his family and those around him, he said.

USED MORPHINE A 20-year-old man who had been convicted of illegally using morphine was fined $2OO for the offence. Laird David Crichton, aged 20, an architectural draughtsman, had pleaded guilty to the charge. After being convicted at an earlier hearing he had voluntarily sought help from the National Clinic for Alcoholism and Drug Addiction, said counsel (Mr P. M. James). He had almost completely withdrawn from drugs. (Before Mr N. L. Bradford, S.M.)

IMPRISONED Toni John Waaka, aged 30, a prison inmate, was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment on charges of unlawfully taking a truck, valued at $5500 and driving while disqualified. He had pleaded guilty. The police alleged that $l5OO worth of damage was caused to the truck by the defendant after he stole it from Dunedin. ASSAULTED BY WOMAN When a barman refused to serve* an intoxicated woman in a Lyttelton hotel, she punched him and hit him on the nose with a glass, the Court heard. Pahemata Brown, aged 29, pleaded guilty to a charge of assault with intent to injure and was convicted and fined $l5O, half of which was to be paid to the complainant. Sergeant R. H. Prouting said the woman became abusive to a barman at the British Hotel on March 13. When he refused to serve her she became angry and punched him on the shoulder. She then hit him on the nose with her glass, causing cuts needing two stitches, and bruising. Counsel (Mr P. G. Benseman) said the defendant had been grossly intoxicated at the time as she had been drinking al’ afternoon and into the evening. TELEPHONE OFFENCES A girl who made 49 toll calls using fictitous names. and charged the bill of $168.75 to her aunt, was convicted on four charges of defrauding the Post Office. Marion Honatana, aged 21. a packer, pleaded guilty to the charges and was remanded to May 12 for sentence. Sergeant R. H. Prouting said the defendant made 49 toll calls to the West Coast between May 26 and September 1. 1975. using three assumed names. The de-

fendant made the toll calls from phone boxes and charged the calls to her aunt at Opotiki. without her aunt’s permission. The defendant had said she was trying to contact her boyfriend on the West Coast and she could not afford to pay for the calls herself. FIGHT IN TAVERN A 20-year-old youth who assaulted a man. causing cuts requiring stitches, pleaded guilty to an assault charge and was remanded to May 12. He is Puke Marsh, a wool store worker. The defendant was at the Tavern Rachael on March 19 when he picked up a bottle belonging to another person said Sergeant Prouting. When he did not put it down a fight started. The complainant suffered cuts to the back of his head and bruising. The defendant had said in explanation that he had been hit first and was only fighting back. ASSAULTED OFFICER A man convicted of assaulting a traffic officer on January 17. i was put on probation for a year and ordered to pay compensation of $5 on charges of assault and wilful damage. Phillip Roberts, aged 24. a storeman, had pleaded not guilty. Evidence had been given that the defendant struck the officer on the temple after running from a patrol car. The Magistrate said that for such an offence custodial sentences were usually imposed. However, because of matters in the probation report he did not think this necessary. PETROL THEFT A youth who was apprehended entering a workshop at the rear of his residence was convicted and put on probation for a year, ordered to pay compensation of $4B and pav $25 towards the cost of prosecution, on two charges. Graham Anthony McLaughlin, aged 19, a mechanic. had pleaded guilty to charges of burgling A. E. Nevell and Sons’ workshop and stealing 40 gallons of petrol. Counsel (Mr Gibson* said that the defendant was married and endeavouring to buy a section. He worked on Saturdays to earn more money. FOUR OFFENCES Laurence Keith Victor Clarkson, aged 21, a slaughterman, was ordered to do 150 hours community work and pay compensation of $9B and was put on probation for a year, on four charges. He had pleaded guilty to charges of unlawfully interfering with a motor-car; receiving Swan raises div. The Swan Brewery Company, Ltd, is raising its annual dividend from 7.5 c a share to 8.5 c a share after group net profit rose 22 per cent to sAust7.2m in the year to March 30. The directors decided to include a special bonus of 1c a share. Sales rose 25 per cent to $137.6m. The profit was after providing $200,000 more for depreciation at sl.4m, and $700,000 more for tax at s4.Bm.

a cassette player valued at $590; receiving a set of saucepans; and stealing goods valued at J 167. the property of Edwin Peter Robertshaw. (Before Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M.) RECEIVED TELEVISION Maurice McKay, a sickness beneficiarv. who pleaded not guilty to a charge of receiving a colour television set was convicted and fined S2OO. McKav told the Court he had bought ’ the set in a hotel for $6OO He knew the man he bought it from by sight. The man had told him he had had some domestic trouble and wanted to sell the set and go to Australia. McKay denied he knew the set was stolen. The Court was told that it had been stolen on February 4. It was found in the defendant’s home on March 31.