Handcuffed man sentenced

Press, 26 August 1977, Page 18

Handcuffed man sentenced

Two years’ imprisonment was imposed on Philip Ross Frewen, aged 29, by Mr J. S. Bisphan S.M. when he appeared in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday on two burglary offences. Frewen, who was j handcuffed to a guard, last; week pleaded guilty to tak-; ing whips and saddles worth ;$2235 trom A. r. McKenzie] i saddlers, Main North Road, and to taking assorted clothing and goods worth $7879! from Mrs Pope's Cashel! iStreet shop. The burglaries’ ]took place last month. The Magistrate said that 1 about $lO,OOO worth of pro-! petty was taken and it was, i unlikely any of it would bej I recovered. I Counsel (Mr R. J. Murfitt); ! said that his client was simply the “hands” of more able accomplices. He gained only $lOO from the burglary of Mrs Pope’s shop. The entire value of the property i taken had been to the advantage of accomplices who, ' he understood, had not yet < been apprehended. ; Frewen was an effective 1 alcoholic, and it was while ' in the grip of this disease 1 that the offences were committed. The defendant is alreadyj, serving a prison sentence, he ' was one of the four men], who escaped from Addington!! Prison last Thursday night. j YEAR’S JAIL ' A man who had been ai| persistent offender, despite leniency shown by the!] Courts, was sentenced to im-]i prisonment for a year. ' <

Stephen John Rayner, who ’ had pleaded guilty to being . unlawfully on the premises of the Marine Hotel on June i 29. was told that anyone committing burglary could expect to go to prison, and that for his offence, which [was akin to it, there was [only one type of sentence [which could be imposed. ! Sergeant J. C. Rowe drew the attention of the Bench to the leniency shown to Raviner in recent times. He said [that since 1976 the defendant had appeared before the Courts on four charges of ’ receiving, one each of burglary and of theft, for which he had been sentenced to [ periodic detention, probation, and fined. Yet, said the sergeant,] Rayner still continued to! appear before the courts. His latest offences had been! committed on the eve of his] being sentenced on a. receiv-] ing charge. I ’ From his record it was! obvious that while the] 1 defendant had been under-! going periodic detention, he] 1 had been committing other! offences, said Sergeant i Rowe. ASSAULT CHARGE ! ] Michael John Maffey, a] machinist, aged 20, one of I two youths charged with as-] saulting a 15-year-old[l schoolboy three times while!; the boy was walking home,]) was sentenced to six months [i periodic detention. J He was also released on probation for 12 months and t disqualified from holding or j obtaining a driver’s licence 1

) for 12 months by the Magis- > trate. who told the defendant >I he originally had in mind a ? prison sentence. ? The Magistrate said that 1 people should be able to 1 walk down the streets uni molested by persons such as > I Maffey. He warned the ' defendant that any further offences involving assault or hviolence and he would be i sent to prison. A co-offender, Wayne I Alan Blackwell, who faced the same charge, was re- ■ manded for sentence to September 1 during which time, he was to be medically; examined for his fitness fori i detention centre. The offences against the schoolboy took place on I August 11. BREAKING AND ENTRY ] Twelve months jail was [imposed on Colin Robert I Shortcliffe, aged 53, who' [was charged with breaking! land entering the premises of] Cuddon and Stewart, Ltd, in I Lichfield Street on July 27,] (and with removing shearing! ] equipment worth $l6OO. ] l The Magistrate said that, [since 1942 the defendant’s] record consisted of a num-' Iber of burglary offences. MINDLESS VIOLENCE I Such behaviour could notj ibe tolerated, and it was just! <an example of the sort of!I i mindless violence prevalant ,in the communitv, said the,; Magistrate to Misi Lio. Lio, aged 23, a labourer. I was sentenced to six months 11 jail for assaulting Patau I Tolia outside a burger bar in I'

•|( thedral Square on the 11 night of August 3. 1 After knocking a man unconscious, the defendant had 1 "stomped' on his head three times. The complainant suffered a deep cut and bruising to his head, and had re- “ mained overnight in hospital ’[for observation. The complainant had attempted to • prevent a fight between the defendant and several other ' persons. I "I don’t know whether such behaviour would be tolerated in Western Samoa, [but it certainly won't be toli erated in urban Christ(church.” the Magistrate said, i (Before Mr N. L. Bradford. S.M.) WEEK’S JAIL ! For giving the V sign to i the Magistrate as he was leaving the dock. Mark An-1 i thony Vercoe was sentenced ; to seven days imprisonment. 1 1 iH > had pleaded guilty to a , charge of entering a Co-[1 ] lombo Street hamburger bar I on August 11. with intent top [commit a crime. I Senior Sergeant W. J. Ni- I chol said that the defendant r I had been seen by a police s patrol soon after 1 a.m. on ‘ I August 11. Although he ran I 'off. ho was found soon after c |in Salisbury Street. Nothing t was taken from the burger] bar. I r Counsel (Mr P. F. White- i side) sought bail for Vercoelt but the Magistrate remanded t him in custody to September t 6. It was then Vercoe madeh bis offensive gesture to-It wards the Bench. <1

; (Before Mr B. A Palmer, j S.M.) INCEST CHARGE J A 56-year-old sicknes, beneficiary, charged with committing incest with one daughter and with doing an indecent act on another I younger daughter, was given a suspended sentence. The man, who wa« i granted interim suppression of his name, had earlier pleaded guilty to the of[fences. They occurred between 1970 and February of | tl is year. Counsel (Mr R. F. B. j Perry) said that the defendant was suffering from terminal cancer. This was the ] "saddest case 1 have come across in my 15 years of hearings in the Niagistrate’s Court.” The events that led up to these offences started after the defendant’s wife died in 1965. The defendant regretted the offences and had gone through a great deal of anguish because of them. The Magistrate described the offences as “vile, unnatural. and shocking.” and said that the defendant had “failed miserably in owing his daughters the duty of care that is expected of any father.” “You are a very, very sick man because you are suffering from widespread cancer of the bone marrow, and I consider it inhumane to sentence you to prison because you would surely die there.” the Magistrate told the defendant.