Armed robbery of post office admitted

Press, 11 August 1979, Page 2

Armed robbery of post office admitted

PA' Nelson 1 i Two young men yesterday 1 pleaded guilty in the Magis- ’ trate’s Court at Nelson to 1 the armed robbery of the Thorpe Post Office on July I 31. i The younger of the two, < aged 16, also pleaded guilty ’ to the aggravated robbery of j a Christian literature book- < shop in Blenheim on July ! 27. ] David John Atkins, aged ' 21, unemployed, and a 1 youth, aged 16, were also jointly charged with two i charges of converting cars i from Christchurch and with i the armed robbery of the i post office at Thorpe, in the 1 Motueka Valley. s They pleaded guilty to all ’ the joint charges. t The youth pleaded guilty to stealing a handbag and i contents, valued at $220, s from a woman at Nelson on 1 July 27, and to breaching i conditions of his probation 1 at Dunedin on May 4. < Details of the charges 1 against the youth alone were heard in the Children and 1 Young Persons Court. < Mr K. H. J. Headifen, 1 S.M., decided to hear the 1 joint charges and summary i of facts in the Magistrate’s s Court. I Mr N. Moore, who appeared for both defendants. i reserved his submissions. j Sergeant Allen said that 1 Atkins and the youth con- i verted a car at Christchurch 1 on July 17 and drove to Mo- (

tueka. They returned in the car to Christchurch, left it there, and on July 31 converted another car and drove to Motueka. At 11.15 a.m. that day they went into the Thorpe store, which is also a post office. Atkins was armed with a shotgun and the youth with a .303 rifle. They demanded cash and took $565. They also demanded petrol but were not given it. They drove off at speed to Ngatimoti. Two hours later Atkins was found in the Motueka riverbed with the firearms and some money. The youth was found in a house at Motueka. At first they both strongly denied robbing the Thorpe Post Office, but later admitted the charge. Sergeant Allen said the rifle was not loaded. Atkins said the shotgun was not loaded, but ammunition was found in the abandoned car. The police had found $3OO of the money stolen from the Thorpe Post Office, The Magistrate remanded the youth to the Supreme Court for sentence on the Blenheim robbery and to the Magistrate’s Court on August 24 for sentence on the shoulder bag and breach-of-probation charges. Both Atkins and the youth were remanded to the Supreme Court for sentence on the joint charges of converting cars and armed robbery of the Thorpe Post Office.