Heroin dealer menaced

Press, 14 December 1977, Page 5

Heroin dealer menaced

A fear of being murdered for failing to pay for drugs they had bought had led to many drug offenders in Christchurch committing serious offences to get money, the Magistrate’s Court was told yesterday. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell said that the police in Christchurch had become extremely concerned about the many instances of demands made for money as payment for drugs where the demands had been backed up by a shotgun at the head. Because of the nature of the drug business, and the types of people involved, individuals were extremely reluctant to come forward and report such things. They came to the attention of the police only through concentrated enquiries. Sergeant Caldwell made these comments during the appearance in the No.l Court of George Te Rongo Nepia, aged 39, and Thomas Tameawhio Kingi, aged 27, who were charged that with menaces they demanded $4OO, with intent to steal, from a man whose name was suppressed. Kingi was also charged with threatening to kill the complainant. Mr J. S. Bisphan, S.M., convicted and remanded both in custody to December' 16 for probation reports and sentenceSergeant Caldwell said that the complainant was a self-confessed drug dealer in Christchurch who regularly bought and sold heroin. He had been arrested for possession of a quantity of the drug and had been unable to sell it in order to repay the persons from whom he had bought it. Demands had been made for $6OO and he had been unable to meet them. Finally he had been approached by a man to whom he owed money, who told him that! the money had been paid to a man in Auckland who was higher up in the pyramid of heroin dealers and that the complainant could relax. ■ On November 9, Kingi and { Nepia called at the com-; plainant’s address, said I

Sergeant Caldwell. Kingi was wearing a balaclava, gloves, and was carrying a pump-action shotgun. The gun was put against the complainant’s chest and money was demanded. Although he did not have any money, the complainant said he would make strenuous efforts to pay up. Kingi threatened him for about 10 minutes while holding the shotgun at his body. If he did not come up with the money the next night, the complainant was told, his head would be “blown off.” Before leaving, a flash camera was used to take a photograph of the complainant who was told that because they now had a photograph of him the com- | plainant could not “escape his fate.” Throughout this ordeal the complainant’s wife was in an adjacent room — at the time a week overdue with her first baby. The police were then told about the incident, said Sergeant Caldwell. The next night a woman arrived at the complainant’s residence for the money which Kingi had mentioned the night before. The complainant sought more time in which to pay, but was told that this was not convenient. Kingi then visited the complainant to demand cash. He was given $lOO in cash, and said he would take the stereo unit, which the complainant said was worth $lOOO. Kingi said for the purposes of the debt he would value it at $3OO. The complainant was told to say the unit had been stolen in a burglary. Unknown to Kingi, said Sergeant Caldwell, the conversation was overheard by a detective concealed in the roomThe two defendants were I originally to appear at Court only for the taking of depositions but counsel (Mr D. J. R. Holderness (for Kingi) and Mr D. H. Stringer (for 'Nepia) said the pleas had been changed, and that both elected the jurisdiction of the Magistrate’s Court.