Court clips ‘fashionable’ hedge of cannabis

Press, 24 March 1977, Page 5

Court clips ‘fashionable’ hedge of cannabis

' A cannabis hedge may be <]uite exotic and fashionable, but it also happens to be illegal,’* .Mr B. A. Palmer, S.M., said in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. He was referring to an ex-1 planation made by Peter Ray-, mond Nicholls, who said he, had wanted to grow five of i the 38 healthy cannabis] plants found in his garden as] a hedge. ‘‘l find your account of the/ whole thing so curious that itll just might be true,” the ' Magistrate said. Nicholls, aged 22. a carl trimmer, pleaded guilty to aj charge of cultivating cannabis ’ plants on March 15. “I doubt that the hedge) would have survived,” the! Magistrate said. “There would! have been any number of I; takers willing to clip the! hedge. ‘However, the cultivation! of such plants was regarded! by the legislation as serious,' and to deter other people whoi may evolve a desire to grow): similar hedges in Christchurch, which I think is mostj: unlikely, I am going to im-l pose a heavy fine.” he said. '. Nicholls was fined $2OO. Sergeant D. Gibson said' that when the police visited, the defendant’s flat in Gar-ji reg Road. 38 plants, ranging, from 15cm to 55cm in height.! were found, as were 545! cannabis seeds in a bag in the; kitchen and two butts in the! lounge. The two other occupants of' the flat denied all knowledge] of the plants and seeds. Ser-1 geant Gibson said. Counsel (Mr P. D. Woolley)! said that Nicholls had found] a box containing a lot of earth and manure while] cleaning out the garage. It was among a lot of things left behind by some friends who had been in the flat three months earlier. “He tipped the contents into the garden and a few weeks later noticed the plants growing,” Mr Woolley said. “One of his flatmates told him it was marijuana, and from then on he knew , he was growing an illegal plant.” Five of the plants were transplanted in front of a wire mesh fence, and were clearly, visible from the street, he said. “He made no attempt to I conceal them and it was obvious to visitors and neigh-! ’ hours that the plants were; '• cannabis.” Mr Woollev said. I i “He wanted to grow them as a hedge.” 11

e 295 WOKS STOLEN !,) Woks worth $2760 were e 1 stolen by a 34-year-old man and sold to a scrap-metal s !dealer for $77 in an attempt , to solve his financial • (difficulties, the Court heard. • ! The woks — stainless , | steel shallow bowls for I, cooking Chinese food — were taken by the man J when he found the back I door open at the firm where [he had once worked. I Edward Richard Hita .pleaded guilty to a charge of I lentering the premises of] i Leyton Products, Ltd, ini .Kingsley Street, with intent! I to commit a crime, on Feb-1 ruary 22. Sergeant Gibson said that I the 295 woks were recovered ] from a scrap-metal dealer, to I whom they had been sold for $77. i Hita told the police that ]he had serious domestic ; problems, and because of {heavy expenses incurred he l was overdrawn on his bank : account, and his electricity i supply had been cut off. I Because he desperately I needed some money, hie I drove to the premises of ■ Leyton Products, where he I had once worked. He tried ’the back door and, finding it ■ open, walked in and took ]the woks. Hita was remanded on bail , of $6OO to April 5 for senI tence. TRAPDOOR HIDES CACHE When the police visited a ; house in Merrington Street I they found a well-concealed I trapdoor in the washhouse ' floor. ] Hidden beneath the floor, ' they found stolen property , to the value of $lOBO. I An occupant of the house, I Gavin George Maurice, aged 26, a parts supervisor, yesterday pleaded guilty to a charge of receiving goods obtained by crime. He was convicted and remanded to April 5 for sentence. Maurice had denied any knowledge of the under-floor cache when spoken to by the police, said Sergeant Gibson. Similar charges against two other persons were withdrawn at the request of] the police. TWO BURGLARIES I Valuable silverware, stolen in a burglary of a house in Glandovey Road, was taken round second-hand shops in I an unsuccessful effort to sell ’ it, the Court was told. Michael Keith Frost, aged | 18, pleaded guilty to break- I

mg and entering a dwelling, in Glandovey Road and an-l other m Idris Road. Property l [worth $lOOO was taken in,' both burglaries. Frost was’ convicted and remanded to April 5 for sentence. Sergeant Gibson told the Court that on February 25,| Frost and a companion: drove to a residence in Idris, Road. His companion | knocked on the door and the' two then gained entry from an unlocked back door. Although Frost did not! steal a gold wedding ring and sapphire engagement rmg from the property, he took part in the burglary and intended to share the proceeds. Sergeant Gibson said. Three days later Frost and his companion drove to a property in Glandovey Road and gained entry by break-' ing a window. Silverware, valued at $7OO, and a .22 rifle, worth $5O, were stolen. When interviewed by the police, the defendant admitted the charge, but said he was only the lookout. Sergeant Gibson asked for] $14.50 restitution in pay-’ ment for half the damage to the broken window. He said the companion had not been found. STOLE WALLET A 17-year-old youth could! offer no explanation for! stealing a watch and wallet,] and later breaking into a house, when he appeared in court yesterday. Dale William O’Shea pleaded guilty to the charges. Sergeant Gibson told the Court that a man who had hung up his coat at the Southern Ballet Theatre in Hereford Street on November 4 found that his watch and wallet had been removed when he returned. O’Shea admitted stealing the property to the police. On November 9, the defendant entered a house through an unlocked window and stole food worth $3B. Sergeant Gibson asked for a total of $43 restitution to be made. O’Shea was convicted and remanded until March 30 for sentence. EGG THROWN An 18-year-old youth who slowed down his car so that his companion could throw an egg at a cyclist was fined $5O and disqualified from driving for three months. Senior-Sergeant R. Cook told the Court that at

>8.35 p.m. on March 13, Rob-’ iert Allan Cotton drove his] car along Kilmore Street. As] Ihe approached the Madras' Street intersection, he] /noticed a man on his bicycle, and turned his car lights off. I ] His friend then threw an! I egg at the cyclist, which hit! his back. | Cotton later told the police that he and his ’i friends had had nothing to I do. so they stopped at a dairy and bought some eggs. [ They had then driven around looking for something to do with the eggs. Cotton admitted turning off his car ! lights, so that his registration number would not be seen, Sergeant Cook said. Cotton, a sheet-metal ■ worker, pleaded guilty to the charge of behaving in a dis- ■ orderly manner in a public place. GANG BRAWL former member of the Hampshire Street Mob was . convicted and remanded to April 5 for sentence on a [charge of assault. .1 lan Maurice Goodmanson, .’aged 17, an unemployed , workman, had pleaded guilty I to a charge of assaulting i Michael Joseph Keenahan at New Brighton on January i The charge arose from a ]] brawl between members of '• the Hampshire Street Mob , and the Sons of Satan gang. 1 The defendant had chased 1 the complainant, who had fallen while trying to 1 escape, and leapt on him, ! the Court heard.

The complainant was then badly beaten by the defendant’s" companions.