Assault on de facto

Press, 1 June 1977, Page 4

Assault on de facto

A sentence of four months periodic detention was imposed by Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on a man who kicked his de facto wife in the face with steel-capped boots after a drinking bout. “You are not entitled to use another human being in this way — especially a woman. You severely battered and kicked a woman who stands by you, and who wants to marry you,” said the Magistrate. He noted that it was the third appearance in court in five years of Fomi Kuki, aged 40, on charges of assaulting the same woman. “I don’t doubt that she tries your patience, but you must ' not lose control of yourself like this, even if you are provoked,” said the Magistrate. Kuki, a cleaner, had pleaded guilty to the charge of assault. Counsel (Mrs J. Johnstone) said the incident had occurred on May 3, the defendant’s birthday. After going to work Kuki remembered that he had forgotten to invite the complainant to go out for a drink with him. He rang her at work sev-

sleral times, but was told that -jshe had not turned up. That , | evening, after a few drinks s J with her, Kuki became disli satisfied with her excuse 3 i about why she had not gone iito work and an argument I ensued resulting in the asj'sault. tj Counsel said that the i i defendant, although now - unable to remember what he i did, deeply regretted his ac- > tions. Since the assault the I two parties had been reconciled. His relationship with s the complainant was “reat sonably stable,” and they , were planning to marry -I soon. He was not by nature a s violent man, and he was t determined to make the relaf tionship work. f In addition to the period » of periodic detention, the I Magistrate placed the i I defendant on probation for 9 12 months. (Before Mr B. A. Palmer, ■ S.M.) II BATTERY BURGLARY 91 Batteries worth $5508 riwere found in a van stopped - by a police patrol in thej i early hours of May 15. As a! > result two youths in the van; appeared yesterday, charged--'with burgling Amalgamatedi

ti Batteries, Ltd, in Garlands tlßoad. s' The youths both pleaded - guilty. 91 Sergeant R. H. Prouting ejsaid that at 3.55 a.m. on tlMay 15, a police patrol -■stopped a rental van on I Moorhouse Avenue to e check it, and found it was 7 carrying 102 batteries. e John Frederick Calvert, - aged 19, said he had been e sacked from Amalgamated - Batteries two weeks before i the burglary. -! He committed the bur7'glary because he was an7 noyed at his dismissal, and also because he needed 1 money. s He had hired the van to - take the batteries away, and had asked a friend to help 1 him. 9 Entry to the factory had 9 been gained by a gable and r an insecure window. Paul Rattray, aged 21, a sales representative, also pleaded guilty to the burglary. si He had been asked by Cali | vert to help commit the bur--91 glary, and expected to get t|s6oo from the proceeds. i i Both defendants were re-1 Fmanded until June 10 for ii sentence.