The courts 63-year-old man gaoled

Press, 27 October 1976, Page 4

The courts 63-year-old man gaoled

f A 63-year-old man | who caused the death of ia woman after colliding (with her car while he iwas driving on the wrong side of the road was sentenced to one year’s imprisonment by Mr B. A. Palmer, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. ; Arthur Oliver Brinkman had previously been convicted in the Rangiora Court after pleading guilty to a charge of causing death by carelessly using a car. Brinkman was also disqualified from driving for 10 years. Counsel (Mr C. A. McVeigh) submitted that, although the offence was of such a serious nature, a sentence short of imprisonment could be warranted. Mr McVeigh said that his client had been an alcoholic for 14 years and had not before this offence been behind the wheel of a car when he knew his level of intoxication was likely to be dangerous. He said that it was mainly at the insistence of the defendant’s wife that Mr Brinkman had driven on this occasion.

“Since the accident, the defendant has been making a

very real effort to rehabilitate himself,” he said. In sentencing the defendant, the Magistrate said that as an alcoholic since 1962, the defendant had done a lot in an informal way for Alcoholics Anonymous. However, he said, "my compassion for you must be tempered by what you have done in relation to this offence.” The probation report described Mr Brinkman as “a lonely old man, frail, and somewhat fearful for the future.”

Mr Brinkman’s alcohol level at the time of the accident was 250 mg per 100 mis of blood, and “the last thing that you should have done was get behind the wheel of a car,” said the Magistrate. “After the most careful reflection I am quite firm in the view that a term of imprisonment must be imposed.” ATTEMPTED MURDER A man charged with the attempted murder of two policemen was further remanded to November 30. Leslie Richard Dickinson, aged 20, a Twizel bulldozer driver, was further remanded in custody at the request of Sergeant Caldwell. Counsel for Dickinson (Mr G. S. Brockett) said the remand was by consent. Dickinson is charged with

the attempted murder of Sergeant L. J. Bruce and Constable J. P. Cheeseman. He is also charged with unlawfully taking a car worth $lOOO, driving while disqualified, burglary, and theft. Mr Brockett told the court that all charges related to the same incident when a shot was fired in Manchester Street on October 4. ARMS CHARGE A 29-year-old European immigrant who kept the armed defenders squad at bay for four hours and a half on Friday with a .22 repeating rifle after a domestic dispute appeared in Court on two charges. The man, who received interim suppression of name, entered no pleas to charges of assaulting a female under the Crimes Act and presenting a rifle at the same woman. He was remanded to November 2. FALSE ALARM CALL “If you want a fire engine when there is no need for one, go and buy a toy one in Woolworths,” the Magistrate told a man charged with making a false fire alarm to the Christchurch Fire Brigade. Christopher Wayne Peebles, aged 20, a coachbuilder, pleaded guilty to the charge and was convicted and fined $l4O.

Sergeant Caldwell said that on the evening of October 2, the defendant was at a party in Hereford Street. At this party several persons, including the defendant, were playing about with the telephone. At 11.30 p.m., Peebles dialled 111 and said there was a fire at 65 Armagh Street. Two appliances were called to the address and expenses of $108.50 were incurred. When it was determined that there was no fire the Hereford Street phone number was traced. The police spoke to the occupants of the house who said the persons responsible for the telephone call had left the party. When questioned by the police the defendant said he had been drinking and was egged on by others at the party. DANGEROUS DRIVING A man who drove at speed down Kilmore Street against the flow of one-way traffic after failing to stop after an accident in Victoria Street, was fined a total of $205 on three charges. Kevin Alexander Thomas: Buckley, aged 35, a lineman, pleaded guilty to charges of I dangerous driving, failing ioj stop after an accident, andi

— not having a warrant of fitness. He was fined $l2O on the dangerous driving charge and was disqualified from driving for a year, and was fined $75 and disqualified for six months for failing to stop. For not having a warrant of fitness he was fined $lO. Sergeant Caldwell said that at 9.50 p.m., the defendant turned left into Victoria Street from Bealey Avenue. In Victoria Street, he was involved in a collision with a car travelling in the opposite direction, causing $6O worth of damage to the other car. Buckley then drove off at speed and turned left into Kiimore Street against the flow of one-way traffic, with the complainant in pursuit. In explanation, the defendant said that he could not | recall the accident occurring.! HP rnilld rpmpmnar n i

He coma remember a bump, but he thought it was a pothole, in the road. He could not remember driving the wrong way down Kilmore Street. When imposing the fines, the Magistrate said that the present case was slightly reminiscent of a case in August last year, when the defendant was convicted of giving a false name and address after driving off from an accident he had been involved in. $250 FINE “This will be the most expensive car seat cover you have ever had,’’ said the Magistrate, when fining Lindsay Wallace Melhopt $250 on a charge of receiving a sheepskin car seat cover worth S2O. Melhopt, aged 19, pleaded guilty to the receiving charge. The car cover was stolen from a car last month. The Magistrate warned Melhopt about interfering with other people’s property NINE CHARGES A youth who pleaded guilty to six charges of stealing goods from cars, and two charges of interfering with cars, was convicted and remanded on bail to November 5 for sentence. The youth,' Graham Douglas Skerton, aged 19, an apprentice car painter, also pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a pump, valued at sls, the property of the Justice Department. Sergeant Caldwell said that Skerton had no explanation for taking the ,

pump from the Justice I partment, while doing co. munity work in July. On or about the evenn of October 9 he had con. mitted six thefts from moto. vehicles and interfered with two cars. The goods taken, of a total value of $261, includec beer, a transistor radio, two rubber car mats, a rug, anti a wheel assembly. Skerton could give no explanation for the offences other than that he had beer drinking, said Sergeant Caidwell. i Most property had been [recovered, although $8 was bought in compensation. (Before Mr F. G. Paterson S.M.) $2300 DAMAGE For what the Magistratt described as "massivi offending,” Frank Josepf Pukekura was sentenced t< detention centre training ant was disqualified from driving for a year. Pukekura, aged 17, a glas: plate labourer, had pleadec guilty to three charges- o burglary, and one chargeach of dangerous driving car conversion, wilful dam age of $1567 to a police cat land breach of probation. I it was time the detendan I learnt to stop behaving liki a hooligan and he was hope ful that detention centr training as well as ensuing probationary supervision would put behind thi defendant the disadvantage and lack of training in ni, earlier days and help him t< realise he was not doing himself any good, the Magis

trate said. Because the trainin; offered the defendant a net lease of life, the Magistral* said that no order would b made for payment of th< $3763 compensation soughi by the police, he said. Last week, the Cour heard that a high-speec chase by the police of Puke kura, who was driving a sto len car, ended abruptly wher the youth crashed the ca into a police car on Beale; Avenue, causing more that $2300 worth of damage t< both cars. Pukekura had taken th* car with keys stolen from ; car sales yard office and hat

driven at speeds of up to 9; m.p.h. on Madras Stree while being chased by thi police. Property worth abou $l5OO had been taken in thi burglaries of Mayo’s Elec trical, Ltd, and of Asco; Television Ltd, in September and October. IMPRISONMENT

A sentence of one month’! imprisonment was imposes on Leonard John Gamble aged 28, a sicknes! beneficiary, on a charge o bookmaking. Gamble wai previously convicted on i similar charge last year. “The law is that a financial penalty alone is nol sufficient on a seconc offence of bookmaking,” thi Magistrate said. “Althougl prison is not mandatory, th« alternatives do not seem ap propriate in your case or account of your physica condition. “This is another cast where the public interest ii paramount. This country ha: a form of legalised betting and when you don’t take th* advantage of the leniency o a financial penalty on ” thi first occasion the Court i: bound to make an exampit of you,” the Magistrate toll Gamble. Counsel (Mr A. Hearn submitted that, becaust of the defendant’s unsuitabil ity for periodic detention o community work on accoun of ill health, probation wa: suitable as a deferred sen tence. The defendant was ; small-time agent for som< one else, Mr Hearn said.