MAGISTRATE'S COURT Witnesses intimidated by man charged with theft

Press, Volume CXVI, Issue 34151, 12 May 1976, Page 11

MAGISTRATE'S COURT Witnesses intimidated by man charged with theft

Two charges of intimidation against Thomas Robert Ailingham. aged 46, an unemployed scrap metal dealer, were heard in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning before Mr N. L. Bradford, S.M. Allingham pleaded guilty to charges of intimidating John Brian Nesbit to make him withdraw a complaint of theft and intimidating Michael John Honeybone to get him to abstain from giving evidence before a court. He was remanded at large to May 28 for a probation report and sentence. Sergeant M. White said that between February 20 and March 10, Allingham had called at Tisdall’s Sports Centre on several occasions and spoken to the manager, Mr Nesbit, and tire shop assistant, Mr Honeybone, both of whom had been involved in witnessing and laying a complaint against Allingham for taking two squash rackets from the shop without paying for them. The first time Allingham came into the shop, he had spoken to Mr Nesbit and had held out a roll of $2O bills and said that these could have prevented Mr Nesbit from laying a charge against him.

Allingham had then said to Mr Nesbit: “I’ve a good mind to punch you in the teeth right now," Seregant White

said, and had threatened Mr Nesbit with injury should he appear in court. He then went and showed the bills to Mr Honeybone, he said. On another occasion, Allingham had visited the shop and had said that if the prosecution proceeded, he would sue Mr Nesbit. Allingham had then said, “I suppose you have a nice home arid family and you wouldn’t Want anything to happen to them.” When spoken to by the police, Allingham had admitted offering money to Mr Nesbit and Mr Honeybone and threatening to punch Mr Nesbit in the teeth. « Allingham had denied to the police that he had asked Mr Honeybone to “see him right” in the witness box. After being interviewed by the police and warned not to go back to Tisdall’s, the defendant had gone back to the shop that same afternoon and had spoken again to Mr Nesbit, said Sergeant White. PLOT IN PLANTATION A university student who grew eight cannabis plants in a plot in a plantation on Old West Coast Road, pleaded guilty to a charge of cultivating cannabis. Glen Stephen Weston, aged 22, was put on probation for a year and ordered to do 50 hours of community work. The police were told of the plot by a member of the public who had accidentally stumbled on it. said Sergeant White. When a patrol car stopped near the plot about 7.15 a.m. on April 2 thej' saw the defendant driving away and cannabis plants were subsequently found in the boot of his car.

The five cannabis plants dug from the plot, plus the cannabis from the boot, weighed 365 g. The defendant told the police he planted cannabis seeds eight weeks before, by way of experiment. The harvest was to be for his own use. Counsel (Mr J. R. Milligan) said Weston had been an irregular and light user of cannabis. He had been given the seeds and when he planted them they had all germinated. Weston was a first offender and an otherwise responsible student majoring in economics for a B,Sc., said counsel. FIRE AFTER BURGLARY On two charges of burglary Lindsay Ivan Brien, aged 20. a construction worker, was convicted and remanded in custody to May 13 for probation report and sentence. He pleaded guilty Sergeant White said that a burglary overnight on February 12 had been reported by Hab goods, Ltd. in Akaroa. Cigarettes warrant of fitness books and cash to the value of Sl4O had been taken. On February 17. the premises of the Canterbury Bowling Club had been broken into. Cash and cigarettes to the value of $l9B had been taken and the lounge and servery had been set on fire, causing considerable damage. The defendant’s house had been visited and searched and property from both burglaries had been found, Sergeant White said. Goods worth $5O had been recovered, and restitution for the outstanding amount was sought. Brien’s accomplice had been sentenced to Borstal training, said Sergeant White. Counsel (Mr A. C. HughesJohnson) said that Brien was at present in custody on other matters and was also' due to come up in the Supreme Court for sentence. CYCLIST INJURED Although Karryn Sandra Blake had been under a strain when she committed 20 offences she had brought the strain on herself by her own actions, said the Magistrate. Blake, aged 17, unemployed, had previqusly pleaded guilty 7 to one charge of making a false statement/ one of obtaining credit by fraud, six of. false pretence. nine of theft and three of forgery. She was put on probation for two years; ordered to pay restitution of $1562 immediately and $1306 more as directed; ordered to live and work where directed: and ordered not to associate with certain persons nominated by her probation officer. According to the police summary of facts the defendant stole more than $l5OO while she was employed as an office manageress by the New Zealand Towel Supply, Ltd.

She also obtained a large amount of property by cashing valueless cheques. When interviewed she had been living in motels and using a rental car, and had said these had kept her short of money. Counsel (Mr S. G. Erber) said that Blake had been emotionally disturbed and living in a world unconnected with the realities of work and savings. The Magistrate»said that the strain under which the defendant had been was the result of her own actions and her involvement with a man. Her offences had been wilful and deceitful. He had seriously considered Borstal, the Magistrate said, but had been swayed against this by, Blake’s age and because she had only one previous conviction, in' July. 1975. She also seemed prepared to make restitution. RESTITUTION OF $2BOO A cyclist was seriously injured when he was struck from behind by a car on Colombo Street on March 19, said Sergeant White when Barron Barry Coulishaw appeared on a charge of causing injury by carelessly using a car. Coulishaw, aged 17, an apprentice mechanic, who pleaded guilty, was fined $175 and disqualified from driving for a year. Sergeant White said that Leonard James Watts was hit from behind when the defendant overtook a car on the left at an intersection about 10.40 p.m.. Mr Watts who had been in the left lane was flung onto the bonnet and windscreen of the car. The defendant had told the police he had been doing 20-30 m.p.h. when he approached the intersection at Brougham Street. He had not seen the cyclist until a passenger yelled out. Sergeant White said that shortlv before the accident the defendant had been racing with another vehicle. Counsel (Mr A. C. HughesJohnson) said that the defendant had not been speeding and had slowed down for the intersection. He admitted he was careless in accelerating away too fast. The cyclist had been wearing dark clothing. DRUG CHARGES Appearing on charges related to the use and possession of drugs, Murray Waddell Hannigan, aged 22 a compositor (Mr S. G. Erber), was convicted and re-

mande cl on ball to May 18 for reports from the probation service and the National Society of Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Hannigan pleaded guilty tc charges of unlawfully possessing morphine, cannabis and fenfluramine and unlawfully using morphine. All offences were commit ted at Palmerston North. Sergeant White said that the defendant had been stopped ir his car by the police and the car had been searched. Itemsfound were a hypodermic syringe; two capsules each con taining 47 per cent morphine--4.64g of cannabis leaf; 51g of cannabis in 17 brown paper rolls a 216 mg block of hashish; and Ponderax tablets, containing the prescription poison fenfluramine At first, the defendant had denied possession and had said that the drugs had been planter on him. but later he had ad mitted that they were his. foi ; his own use. HONESTY BOX OFFENCE Two youths who attempted tc break open a newspaper honesty box belonging to “The Press, 5 and steal its contents of $5. pleaded guilty to the charge. Grant Andrew McKay, aged 18. a workman, was convicted and fined $3O, while Stephen Craig Shirley, aged 20, unemployed, was convicted and discharged. Both were represented by Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon. Shirley was sentenced to detention centre training on Monday on other charges. FALSE PRETENCE Appearing on five charges of false pretence and a charge of theft Mark Stewart Godfrey, aged 28, a barman, was fined $25 on each charge and ordered to make restitution of $340, at a rate of $3O a week. Counsel said that the defendant had borrowed his friend’s car, and had run out of cigarettes, which he then looked for in the glove box. There he had found the cheque book and he had kept it, with the intention of only using it should he be in a spot. The cheques had all been cashed when the defendant was out of work and in need of money, counsel said. Godfrey was second in charge of the tavern where he worked, and his employer was happy for him to stay on there, he said. If the defendant were left free, he would be able to make restitution by doing overtime work at the suggestion of his employer. (Before Mr W F. Brown, S.M.) RECEIVED TV SET Thomas Alexander Morrison, aged 20, a machine operator (Mr R. J. Scragg), was convicted and remanded on ball to May 24 for sentence, after pleading guilty to a charge of receiving. The Court was told that on February 4 the police searched the defendant’s house and found a stolen colour television set worth $750. The set was the property of Amalgamated Telehire.