‘Outrageous offences’

Press, 11 August 1979, Page 4

‘Outrageous offences’

A youth convicted of what Mr B. A. Palmer, S.M., described as “outrageous offences” was placed on probation for 12 months and ordered to carry out 100 hours of community work when he appeared for sentence in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The Magistrate told Costa Stephen Stavreff, aged 17, unemployed, that giving him a community-based sentence was “certainly not my first choice.”

In addition to community work Stavreff was ordered to pay compensation of $36.50c to the two complainants. Last week Stavreff was convicted on a charge of receiving $lO in cash, knowing it was dishonestly obtained, on June 26; and with stealing a handbag containing $l7 in cash and a bank book, to a total value of $73. The defendant had been an unwilling participant in both offences and was not the instigator, the Magistrate was told by counsel (Miss C. P. Eddington). Stavreff had been told by an associate that it was about time he “did something” and that he had felt unable to decline this challenge without losing face before his friends, Miss Eddington said. The Magistrate said he found it difficult to understand the defendant’s giving in to “peer group pressure” in view of the offences. The first of these related to a group of young persons driving around New Brighton and of a handbag being snatched from an elderly woman walking along the footpath. Such an act should have filled any decent minded person with a sense of shame, yet the defendant had received $lO — part of the money taken from the handbag, said the Magistrate.

On June 29 while with the same group Stavreff had asked the 69-year-old occupant of a house if he could use the telephone and once inside had stolen her handbag. The defendant had been found medically unfit for detention centre training

where, the Magistrate said, he had been strongly minded to send him. $BOO FINE

A self-employed carpenter who admitted charges of cultivating cannabis, possessing cannabis seeds, and cannabis ' plant, was convicted and fined a total of $BOO.

Bruce Urquhart King, aged 28, was fined $650 on the charge of cultivation, and $75 on each of the two charges of possessing cannabis.

Last week the Magistrate was told that 200 cannabis seedlings had been found growing in a greenhouse at the rear of a Scarborough Road property occupied by King, and yesterday when police executed a search warrant at King’s address the seeds and plant had been found in the defendant’s clothing. King had told the police that he was looking after the 200 seedlings for a friend, whom he had declined to name. Of the cannabis seeds and plant found yesterday it had all been for his own use, King had said. 23 CHARGES

A youth who appeared on 21 charges of fraud, involving $lOOO, was convicted and remanded in custody to August 17 for a probation report and sentence. Darryl Wayne Risdon, aged 17, a labourer, admitted the offences which occurred in Christchurch and also two breaches of probation. Sergeant W. J. McCormick said that on July 12 the defendant had opened a bank account with a deposit of $lO and had received a nonpersonalised cheque book containing 30 cheques. The defendant had then begun using the cheques for the purchase of goods, meat, jewellery, clothing, cash conversion and the hire of a rental vehicle.

Some of the property had been recovered and compensation of $984 was sought, said Sergeant McCormick.

A request for bail by counsel (Mr E. H. Parsons) was declined by the Magistrate.

RECEIVING ADMITTED A woman admitted receiv-

ing a $239 racing bicycle because, she told the police, she had sold her motor-cycle and then had no form of transport. Deborah Jane Callow, aged 20, unemployed, was convicted and fined $75. NINE MONTHS JAIL A basket maker, aged 24, was sent to prison for nine months after being convicted on a charge of receiving. Wade Phillip Smith last week admitted receiving seven bicycles and assorted children’s toys, to a total value of $2778, the property of Pegasus Cycles, Ltd, on July 27. The Magistrate said the defendant had a formidable! list of previous court appearances for offences of dishonesty for which he had received sentences of detention centre training, Bostal and imprisonment. Although accepting that Smith was not involved in the burglary of the store the Magistrate said that within 24 hours of it the defendant had been found in possession of all the stolen property. It had been arranged that he would sell the property on behalf of the burglars in return for a payment of $2OO. (Before Mr P. J. McAloon, S.M.) TUNNEL INCIDENT Two unemployed youths, who appeared on charges relating to an incident at the Lyttelton Road tunnel earlier this month, were remanded when they appeared in the Children and Young Persons Court. One youth was remanded in the custody of the Social Welfare Department for a week for a psychiatric report, and the other was remanded until August 13. Each faced two charges of wilful damage, one of disorderly behaviour, and one of throwing stones. No pleas were entered. The police alleged that on August 5 the youths smashed with stone, 26 louvre windows in the entrance to the tunnel. When an officer of the tunnel authority came to investigate, the window of the vehicle he was driving was also broken.

Total damage amounted te $286.