Month’s remand in custody; counsel critical of police

Press, 13 June 1978, Page 7

Month’s remand in custody; counsel critical of police

A Christchurch business-; 'man, aged 35, was remanded: in custody for a month by (Mr P. J. McAloon, S.M.. • when he appeared in the' I Magistrate's Court yesterday ;on four charges of possess-! j ing. and dealing in both cocaine and heroin. He is Martin Joseph i Hickey, who was remanded ito July 10 for the taking of: depositions. Counsel (Mr X. N. Hamp-, j ton) was unhappy about the! length of the remand and! suggested that the ponce' were not giving priority, to. the analysis of samples in! drug cases. Hickey had already been in custody for a month, he said. “Surely, if it is a matter of drugs, the first thing one does is get the exhibits; analysed.” Mr Hampton submitted. “The Court should have an explanation. If the' police are not ready to pro-; ceed, the information should' be dismissed.” Sergeant B. N. Thompson said that the Department of Scientific and Industrial Researcli had told the police that because of the investigations required in this case, and because of the backlog of work there, the samples had not been analysed. •“We cannot proceed when, we have ho evidence that the! substance concerned is! heroin,” said Sergeant j Thompson.

I The Government analyst; at the D.S.I.R. (Mr G. R I Scott) told "The Press" that to his knowledge the police had not advised that the analysis was required yesterday ' If they had told us there was any degree of urgency, we would almost certainly have had the sample ready," he said. Mr Scott said that until! the division had lost one of! its forensic drug analysts at i the beginning of May. it wa> ; keeping abreast of work. But ( ; since May, rhe number of j I samples for analysis had als<> ; increased. The Magistrate said it was) clear from the evidence that! no blame could be attached to the police for the delay: • the matter was beyond their control. An application for bail for Hickey, sought by Mr Hamp-: jton in the Supreme Couft in the afternoon, was declined. 'The department was trying to resolve the problem, Mr Scott said. MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE Bail was granted a man; who appeared on a charge ol manslaughter after his counsel applied in the Supreme Court to overrule a remand! : in custody imposed in the! ; Magistrate’s Court in the! morning. David John Crowe, aged! |39, a car painter (Mr K. N. 'Hampton), was charged that!

jat Christchurch on June 11 by an unlawful act he struck James Malcolm and killed • him, thereby committing • manslaughter. The charge relates to an incident in Sullivan Avenue. ■ Opawa. when Mr Malcolm . Was found dead in a caravan. Crowe was remanded on bail of S2oo<' to July II for. the taking of depositions. ! Bail had been opposed by • the police. DRUG CHARGE “This is not a' good way ito start a honeymoon,” the Magistrate told an Australian visitor, Peter Herbert Wyatt.l ! when he appeared on a! ! charge of importing cannabis ' oil into New Zealand. Wyatt, aged 22, a clerk, I who pleaded guilty, was convicted and fined $l5O. which Was ordered to be paid im-l j mediately, in default of a ; month's imprisonment. Sergeant Thompson said; that Wyatt arrived in Christchurch by air on Saturday from Brisbane with his wife on their honeymoon. During I the Customs examination, a ; capsule of cannabis oil was, ; found in a sock among the defendant's luggage. i Sergeant Thompson said I the defendant had said he i had paid $3O for the capsule. ! which was half-full when dis-l 'covered by Customs officials! I There was no suggestion that the oil was for other than I the defendant's own use.

Since his arrest, th* defendant had spent his rime m 'the cells at the Central Police Station while his wife was accommodated at a (hotel. BURGLARY CHARGES The police sought a remand in custody when Darrell Richard Willetts and 'John Garriock. both unemployed. appeared in a burglary charge, as further charges against both men were pending. No pleas were entered by Willetts, aged 17. and Garriock. aged 18. to a charge I of breaking and entering the I Witham Street Fish Supply early yesterday morning Both were remanded in custody to June 19.