Magistrate's Court Youth forges benefits

Press, 31 May 1978, Page 4

Magistrate's Court Youth forges benefits

An unemployed youth who got $292 more than he was entitled to from the Department of Social Welfare by forging payment orders was convicted and remanded to June 7 by Mr N. L. Bradford, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Mark William Morgan, aged 18, pleaded guilty to three forgery offences committed in January and in March.

Sergeant B. N. Thompson said the defendant, who was on an unemployment benefit, altered three payment orders to obtain $369 when all he was entitled to from the three orders was $77. Two of the orders were cashed at the same post office and after an examination of them a complaint was laid with the police. Morgan’s reason for the offence was that he “wanted more money.” “UNCOMMON” FRAUD

A rubber worker, said by his counsel to earn $15,000 a year, was convicted and discharged when he appeared on a charge of obtaining a $73 heater from a city firm by a false pretence. In addition, the Magistrate suppressed the man’s name on condition he pay $125 towards the cost of the pro-

secution. An order for the return of the heater was also made. The man admitted the offence, which took place in a Christchurch store on April 28. Sergeant Thompson said the defendant had called into the store, selected the heater and then asked for it to be charged to the account of a workmate. The defendant had money in his pocket at the time but it was insufficient. He had said that he had heard of other people getting goods by charging them to the accounts of others, said Sergeant Thompson. Counsel (Mr A. C. HughesJohnson) submitted that the offence was not pre-planned; it was an act on the spur of the moment. His client had money in his pocket when he went into the store but the heater had cost more. It was then he had resorted to having it charged to a workmate’s account.

As soon as he got the heater home he had suffered nagging feelings of guilt. At one stage he had considered sending his workmate a cheque, but felt that this might have got him still deeper in trouble. The Magistrate said that such an offence, which in his

experience was not common, was probably very difficult to detect. At “first blush” it had appeared as a coldblooded attempt to defraud the firm. DRUG OFFENCE

A third-year student from Sydney University was convicted and fined $l5O on a charge of importing cannabis into New Zealand on Monday. The Magistrate told Peter Ronald Olson, aged 21, that failure to make immediate payment would mean a month in jail. An order for the destruction of the cannabis was made.

Olson, who pleaded guilty, arrived at Christchurch Airport at 1.30 p.m. on Monday, on an eight-day ski-ing holiday, said Sergeant Thompson.

Customs officials had found two plastic bags in his luggage, containing eight grams of cannabis vegetation. Olson told the police the drug was for his own use only. ESCAPED PRISONERS

Rex William Richard Davey, aged 23, charged with escaping from Rolleston Prison on Monday, was remanded without plea to June 2.

The remand in custody would enable a psychiatric report to. be made, the Court was told.

Mark Gregory Hayes, aged 18, charged with escaping fromjhe Rolleston Detention Centre was remanded without plea to June 6. Hayes also escaped on Monday. Davey fled from his escort as he was leaving Christchurch Hospital on Monday afternoon. He was recaptured about 11 p.m. DRUG CHARGE

“Clearly this was a large scale operation, of a commercial nature,” the Magistrate told Matthew O’Donaghue when he appeared before him for sentence on a charge of cultivating cannabis.

O’Donaghue, who last week pleaded guilty to the charge, was fined $2OO. In default of immediate payment he would go to prison for two months. Last week the Court was told about how O’Donaghue, aged 26, an electrician, rented an office and installed lighting and heating in a foil-lined room. Sixty-eight cannabis plants had been found in the room and there had been signs that larger plants had already been cropped. Counsel (Mr M. J. Glue) said his client had been a heavy loser —having rented the premises and installed the equipment, for which he had not yet been paid.

Although the police had sought forfeiture of the plants and equipment, Mr Glue asked that this not apply to the defendant’s tools, worth about $2OO, which were in the office. He added that there was no suggestion that O’Donaghue was “caught up with the drug crowd.” Rather it was a case of where his professional expertise had been sought by an unscrupulous person. The Magistrate said no doubt the defendant had been tempted into committing the offence for the obvious gain he had expected to get out of it. Although he ordered the destruction of the cannabis plants and the forfeiture of the equipment in the room, he allowed the defendant to keep his tools.

12 MONTHS JAIL Peter Ruki, aged 18, was given 12 months imprisonment when he appeared for sentence on seven charges.

Ruki had pleaded guilty to two charges of burglary, two of unlawfully taking vehicles, and three of theft involving $267 in cash. All but one of the offences were committed this month in and around Christchurch.