The courts Armed robbery by 'alcoholics'

Press, 12 April 1978, Page 4

The courts Armed robbery by 'alcoholics'

Three men — described by counsel as alcoholics — jointly charged with the armed robbery of the Templeton Post Office late last month have been committed to the Supreme Court on April 21 for sentence.

The three, Kenneth Roy Townsend, aged 31, at unemployed cook, Francis Bernard Taylor, aged 36, an unemployed engineer, and David Ernest Reed, aged 24, a rigger, appeared before Mr J. S. Bisphan, S.M., in th» Magistrate’s Court yesterday.

They were jointly charged that being armed with an offensive weapon, a softball bat, they robbed Ita Alison Mclnnes of $844 at Temple® ton on March 28.

All three pleaded guilty. Counsel (Mr E. H. Parsons) said that under a new amendment to the Summary Proceedings Act he would seek their remand to the Supreme Court for sentence. Under the new amendment, he said, when a person was charged with an indictable offence and had pleaded guilty, he could be remanded to the Supremo Court for sentence without first having to go through the Lower Court for the tak-. ing of depositions. Mr Parsons sought probation reports and two medical certificates for each accused and said that he had been instructed to apply for bail. The Magistrate refused i

bail, and suggested that medical certificates were a matter for the sentencing court. The three were remanded in custody. $6OOO BURGLARY

Neil Murray Gardner, aged 31, a sickness beneficiary, was remanded to April 18 for sentence on a charge of burgling the Kentucky Fried Chicken shop in Papanui Road in January. He was remanded on bail of $750, with two similar sureties.

Sergeant C. J. Shanahan said that Gardner and a companion were given the safe combination and a key to the premises by the assistant manager of the shop. Cash totalling $6314 was taken from a securitycabinet, and $3236 of this money had been found buried in a city garden. The Court was told that the companion had already been dealt with, and that compensation of $1250 was sought from Gardner. (Before Mr B. A. Palmer, 5.M.,) THREAT TO KILL

Darryl Kenneth Williams, aged 27, unemployed, was convicted and remanded in ‘custody to April 18 for a probation report and sentence on a charge of threatening to kill Kathleen Elizabeth Giles, his mother. Detective Sergeant R. Hardie said the charge arose as . a result of a domestic incident between Williams and

Mrs Giles, at thefr home in Brookside Terrace on March 6.

Evidence was given by Mrs Giles and by two constables who were directed to the house to a domestic disturbance. The constables, Paul Warwick Hunter and Catherine Hanley-Pakham, were at the house when the accused arrived home that night and abused and threatened his mother.

Constable Hanley-Pakham said she believed the accused could have carried out his threats in spite of his intoxicated condition.

Williams admitted having spent much of the day in | hotels. He had wanted to get drunk, he said. Counsel (Mr D. J. Maze) submitted that a specific intent was required to carry out the threat. The accused had been too intoxicated to be capable of forming that intention. (Before Mr F. G. Paterson S.M.) INDECENCY CHARGES An Australian man who indecently assaulted two boys, aged eight, in Christchurch last month was sentenced to two years imprisonment. The accused, aged 35, who was granted suppression of his name, had pleaded I guilty. The Magistrate said that the charges were very I serious, and the accused had

been convicted on similar charges before. He ordered him be deported to Australia after serving his sentence. BREAK-IN ATTEMPT One of two youths who attempted to break into the shop premises of the General Trading Company, Ltd on March 27 was sentenced to six months periodic detention. Dale William O’Shea, aged

18, had pleaded guilty to the charge of attempted breaking and entering. He also came up for sentence on an earlier charge of being on premises without lawful excuse, for which he had received a suspended sentence. His co-offender for the breaking and entering charge, Guy Mitchell Boardman, aged 17, was sentenced 'to Borstal training.