Man admits robbery

Press, 7 December 1976, Page 7

Man admits robbery

A young Australian man who thrust a carving knife at the Papanui Keystores manager’s throat and demanded the contents of the till pleaded guilty to a charge of robbery in the Magistrate’s Court yester-i

Rodney Kenneth Willis, aged 25, an Australian who has been in New Zealand for nearly a year, was convicted and remanded in custody to December 13 for a probation and a psychiatric report. Sergeant R. H. Prouting said that the defendant went into the Keystores grocery shop at 8.55 p.m. on July 17.

It was a late shopping •night and the manager, Mr Arthur Gerard McNabb, and his female assistant were about to close the shop. Willis entered the shop with his face covered, carrying what appeared to be a butcher’s knife. He thrust the knife at the manager’s throat and asked for trie money in the till. When he left with the money, which amounted to $880," he told the manager, his assistant and the two customers inside the shop not to move or they would be shot by someone waiting outside.

It was believed that he had a female companion out- i side the shop, trying to) persuade people not to enter the shop. The defendant was interviewed on September 23 at a solicitor’s office, and denied committing the robbery. He was interviewed again on November 1 and admitted doing it. He said that some of the money was stolen from him and he spent the rest on drinking. ESCAPER A prisoner at Sunnyside Hospital who escaped from custody gave himself up the next day at the police sta-

tion because ne neectea medication, the Court heard. The man, James Vernon Darling, aged 32, pleaded guilty to escaping from custody of Sunnyside Hospital on December 2. Sergeant R. H. Prouting said that Darling was serving a two year jail sentence at Paparua Prison for robbery and theft in In-j i vercargill. i Darling was transferred to ! Sunnyside Hospital for treatament, and he escaped from ; there on December 2. The next day he gave himself up to the police. I He was convicted and disj charged. DANGEROUS DRIVING Two youths who admitted driving dangerously on Saturday night while being pursued by police patrol cars were each fined $lOO and were disqualified from driving for a year. Niklos David Szeli, aged ■l7, a labourer, and Brian I Andrew Jeffrey, aged 18, a : drainlayer, both pleaded I guilty to charges of dangerious driving. Sergeant Prouting said that I at 10.25 p.m. on Saturday

an off-duty constable broke up a fight between two groups of youths in two cars in Moorhouse Avenue. While the constable was talking to some of the youths in front of a car, Szeli started the car and drove off at speed, causing the constable to jump out of the way. A police patrol car gave chase and followed him at about 70 km/h, and Szeli continued to accelerate. He was caught near the Cashmere Club premises in Colombo Street.

While the police were talking to Szeli on the footpath, Jeffrey, one of his companions, jumped into the car and took off at speed with no lights.

After several near collisions, Jeffrey was caught in Centaurus Road when his car broke down. CANNABIS CHARGE

A 43-year-old professional man has been charged with possessing cannabis and obstructing the police. The man, whose name and occupation were suppressed, has been remanded for a week without plea.