Magistrate’s Court

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 4

Magistrate’s Court

A policeman, whose name, was suppressed, appeared in ' the Christchurch Magistrate’s Court yesterday on three charges laid under the Arms Act, 1958. He was accused of delivering a .32 Harrington and Richardson revolver to Gerald Paul O’Farrell at Lyttelton. of procuring the revolver at Christchurch and of oossessing the firearm without a permit, all on or about last September 8. Counsel (Mr J. Cassells), asked that the defendant’s name be suppressed as the facts were “curious” and the policeman had two children; attending school. The charges would be defended. , The man. who appeared in Court in civilian clothes, was, remanded for a fixture to! June 17 bv Mr B. A. Palmer,! S.M. ESCAPER FINED Grant Russell Collins, aged; 17. was convicted and fined j $3O on a charge of escaping from the Rolleston Detention Centre on May 29. The; Magistrate ordered his return there. Collins, who pleaded 1 guilty, had been serving a period of training at the: centre after being convicted: on May 20 on a charge of unlawful assembly, said Sergeant D. Gibson. The defendant had escaped by climbing a 3m fence. He was about a quarter of a kilometre from the centre when he had surrendered to a policeman about two hours after breaking out. Counsel (Mrs P. D. Gibson) | said that while the defendant had nothing against the' centre, he had received harsh; treatment from other inmates. He had been insulted.: taunted and intimidated during his first week there. The Magistrate said that: he appreciated the defen-i dant’s difficulties but there were officials at the centre, who could help. If the defendant sought his' own remedy to the problem again, the Court would not be so sympathetic.

BREAKING AND ENTRY On two charges of break-: ing and entering, Anthony! Arthur Pilkington, aged 18/ a fishmonger, was remanded to June 9 for sentence and a probation officer’s report. Pilkington pleaded guilty! to breaking and entering the bottle store of the Shirley ; Lodge and the Linwood' Avenue Dairv storeroom on: May 22. Sergeant Gibson said that the defendant and a companion had been at a nartyi in Linwood. About 9 p.m.,; when the liquor had started to run out. it had been de-i ;cided that they would go by car to a liquor store. , While a companion, Donald Malcolm Stanley,; aged 18. had broken the' front window of the store and had grabbed four bottles ! of whisky. Pilkington had acted as look-out. Soon after, Pilkington had again acted as look-out : while his companion had entered the rear of the -dairy and taken two cartons I of soft drinks Sergeant Gibson said that police had apprehended the two in the car when they had -driven through a red traffic , light. Restitution of $25 for the whisky and the broken window was sought. Skinley, who pleaded not guilty, was remanded to June 28 for a fixture. THEFT OF CYCLE A youth who pleaded guilty to charges of stealing a bicycle and using obscene -language in Barrington Street was fined $9O. Brendon Paul Fitzgerald -Ferris, aged 17, pleaded not guilty to a further charge of assaulting a traffic officer and was remanded to June 20 for a fixture. Sergeant Gibson said that ;last Sunday morning, a traffic officer had seen the accused riding a woman’s -bicycle along the footpath in Barrington Street. Ferris had refused to stop and had used obscene language. He had continued riding the bicycle

across Lincoln Road with the 'traffic officer in pursuit. Ferris had run into the; Officer’s motor-cycle and had' made off. When he was later located by police, he had given a false name. Sergeant Gibson said that! the accused had said he' Thought the traffic officer was; 'going to let the air out of J his tyres. Ferris had found the bike outside his home and had painted it black and done isome repairs. I The Magistrate told thel ; accused that certain words in his vocabulary were overIworked. OBSCENE CALLS j A grandmother who rang: 'the police operations room on 1

: the emergency line and used I obscene language was told by I ithe Magistrate that if she 'wanted to use this sort of ■ language on the telephone she buy a toy one. | The woman, aged 51, whose ■ iname was suppressed, made; calls on Sunday. She told thei .; police that she was trying to I get some help and had been ; (drinking, said Sergeant Gib-j ‘son. Counsel (Mrs Gibson) said .that the accused was having problems with neighbours. , There had been several burglaries and she thought that J the police were not being co- | operative. I The Magistrate convicted 'the woman and fined her $lO.