S.M. warns burglars

Press, 17 March 1977, Page 4

S.M. warns burglars

Unless there were unusual circumstances, a custodial sentence was highly probable for those who committed burglaries, Mr W. F. Brown, S.M., said in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. “Repeated warnings have been given from the Bench to this effect, because burglary is very prevalent in our city,” he said. “Unfortunately, the taking of cars and of property from cars is also a prevalent offence.” The Magistrate was sentencing Anthony David Trowbridge, aged 17, on a total of 24 charges — 12 of theft, seven of car conversion, four of unlawfully getting into cars and one of burglary.

Property taken in the thefts and the value of the seven cars amounted to $11,400. Trowbridge was sentenced to borstal training. Last week, when he pleaded guilty to the 24 charges, the

Court was told that Trowbridge had used a small pair of scissors to break into the cars.

Counsel (Mr P. Home) said that Trowbridge, who could neither read nor write when he left school, had already been to detention centre and periodic detention centre. "SURVIVAL” OFFENCE Because he had bfen refused a job at Twizel after coming out of prison, Darryl Kenneth Williams broke into a tool shed and stole petrol when his car ran out of petrol on the way home from Twizel, Mr Home told the Court. “It was an instinctive survival reaction on Williams’ behalf,” he said. Mr Home, who was appearing for Williams, said that Williams had only just come out of prison, where he had served an 18-month sentence.

Williams had pleaded guilty to a charge of bur-

glary and interfering with a $25,000 truck. After breaking into the shed and taking $B6 worth of petrol and tools, he had started the engine of the truck. He had been unable to stop the motor, however, and it was left running for 11 hours, using about 24 gallons of diesel. Williams was sentenced to six months periodic detention, disqualified from driving for 18 months, ordered to pay compensation of $17.68 and was placed on probation for 18 months. A new charge, of burgling a house at Temuka on February 20 was denied by Williams and he was remanded to the Timaru Court for a defended hearing on May 3. His wife, Sheryl Williams, who has also been convicted of burgling the tool shed, was remanded to March 23 for a probation report. She was to have been sentenced yesterday but had failed to report to the probation service.