Guest took hotel’s TV sets, painting

Press, 19 June 1979, Page 4

Guest took hotel’s TV sets, painting

A man who booked into a Christchurch hotel and then noved property out of an open storeroom into his van outside was convicted on a •charge of theft when he appeared before Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Brian Dunn, aged 34, a: Darman, admitted stealing an oil painting, a vacuum! .cleaner, two black and white television sets, 20 bath | towels, 20 hand towels, a bank deposit book and ai ledger book, to a total value of $755, the property of the; White Heron Travel Lodge, j Sergeant Brickmann said j that at 8 p.m. on June 16 the defendant went to the hotel j where he obtained a unit. He j found the door of a store-j room open, from where he I had removed the vacuum! cleaner, the television sets, the towels, and the stationery. He had put it all in his van, which was parked outside his unit. Sergeant Brickmann said the defendant was apprehended by a member of the hotel's management while he was removing a $350 oil painting from the hotel foyer. Dunn’s van was then searched and the stolen prop- j erty recovered.

ii When spoken to by then i police Dunn had said he!' > didn’t know what had come i over him. i j He was remanded on bail I - of $5OO to June 25 for a pro- |i •Ibation report and sentence. I STAMP THEFT j ( An insurance agent con-- , j victed on a charge of steal- I i |ing 21 first-day covers, val- ( .lued at $llB. was fined $5OO. | i John Anthony Connell, aged 51 admitted the offence j i(which occurred on June 8. I: Sergeant R. S. Brickmann ■ i J said the defendant, a stamp I, ( collector had visited the busi-| 1 ness premises of a Christ-; . i church stamp dealer on the |: i morning of June 8. < . There he had been shown f . a new collection of first-day covers. While the complainJant had attended to other ( [persons the defendant had , ! removed 21 of the stamps ‘ which he had put in a jacket ‘ , pocket, Sergeant Brickmann said. 1 When apprehended. Con- ; nell had readily admitted t stealing the stamps, which 1 he had put among his own ! collection. In explanation, the defendant said he had been short of money at the time, that he wanted the covers, and that Ihe had been unable to resist , the temptation. t

Counsel (Mr P. F. Whiteside) said his client had been aware that the complainant intended to auction the firstday covers.

I His client had been short I of ready cash. It had been a I spur of the moment offence, i Mr Whiteside said. [ The defendant had dealt I with the complainant several times and had been known to I him as a collector. The Magistrate declined a i request for the suppression I of Connell’s name. FRAUD OFFENCE Andrew Stanley Fodie, aged 60, unemployed, was remanded in custody 7 to June 25 for a probation report and sentence on a charge of fraud. i Fodie admitted having incurred a debt for $74.80 with |a taxi-driver by obaining cre-

jdit by means of a fraud. The I offence occurred at Ashbur!ton on June 16. Sergeant Brickmann said I rhe defendant had hired a I taxi to cover a journey of 64 kilometres. i During the journey he had I used the vehicle to call in (and see friends en route. | Fodie had told the taxidriver that it didn’t matter if the fare reached $lOO. He had later admitted having only $8 on him. Sergeant Brickmann said the taxi driver had then driven the defendant to the Ash-

I burton police station. In all the taxi had covered 140 kilometres and compensation of $74.80 was sought from the defendant. THEFT ALLEGED A butcher charged with converting a $24,000 truck and stealing $630 worth of smallgoods was remanded in custody to June 25 without plea. Makahuri Butler, aged 37, is alleged to have taken he truck and the smallgoods, the property of J. C. Hutton (N.Z.), Ltd, on June 18. Bail was opposed by the police.

CARELESS USE CHARGE A painting overseer charged with causing the death of Frances Mary Crisp by carelessly using a car on Opawa Road has denied the offence. Murray Charles Hawke, ;aged 22, was remanded to (August 4 for a defended hearing. The alleged offence occurred on March 10. THEFT CHARGE A man accused of stealing a woman’s handbag and with assaulting her was remanded in custody to June 25. No pleas were entered by Michael Roland Poharama, aged 31, unemployed, who is alleged to have committed the offences on June 14. Poharama is alleged to have assaulted the woman and to have stolen cash, the handbag and its contents, to a total value of $llO. Bail was opposed by Sergeant Brickmann.