Tauranga police-basher yelled ‘Kill the pig’

Press, 23 August 1979, Page 3

Tauranga police-basher yelled ‘Kill the pig’

PA Hamilton A youth wielding a chain had screamed, “Get them, get them, kill the pig . . .” during an attack on a Tauranga policeman on Sunday, the Magistrate’s Court at Hamilton was told yesterday. John Victor Taylor, aged 18, unemployed, of Tauranga, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to Constable Graeme Neil Hughes. Two other young men and a youth also appeared in courts in Rotorua and Tauranga on charges relating to the attack on two policemen in Tauranga. Taylor was remanded in custody to the Supreme Court at Hamilton for sentence. The others were ail remanded without plea. Taylor also pleaded guilty to several other charges, including one of threatening to kill Traffic Officer Roger Edward Leaf in Hamilton on Tuesday. He pleaded guilty to injuring Mr Leaf with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, with intent to avoid arrest of himself and others, supplying cannabis, stealing cannabis, robbery, and theft.

He also admitted four charges of vehicle conversion, three of wilful damage, and two of burglary. Douglas Keith Groves, aged 17, unemployed, pleaded guilty to unlawfully getting into a car and, with intent, injuring Mr Leaf.

Groves was remanded in custody to September 5 for a probation officer’s report and sentence.

The Tauranga charges against Taylor had been laid indictably and Mr T. B. Mooney, S.M., also declined jurisdiction on the other charges. Taylor was remanded in custody to appear in the Supreme Court at Hamilton for sentence on all charges. Senior-Sergeant I. C. Paterson told the Court that Taylor and an associate had committed two burglaries in Tauranga on August 15. With six others Taylor had travelled in a Toyota car from Mount Maunganui to Tauranga on August 19 with a shovel handle sticking out of the car window making “a general nuisance of themselves to other road users.” The complainants in the robbery charge had said they had followed Taylor’s car and when both vehicles had stopped the defendant had held a length of chain in a threatening manner.

Taylor had robbed the complainant of $10.20 in cash. On the same day Taylor and another man had taken a motor-cycle from Mount Maunganui and had attempted to steal another one in Tauranga. They had then stolen a trailer and had removed the second motor-cycle. They had driven a short distance towing the trailer and when they had got to Oropi they had tried to start the motor-cycle. While they were there a security patrol had stopped and had spoken to the defendant and his companions had driven off. Constable Hughes and CdnstHble W. J. Voyce had arrived and bad started tp speak to TaylOr.

Taylor had taken a motorcycle chain he had been hiding behind his back and had hit Constable Hughes on the head. The defendant had then called to his companions, “Get them, get them, kill the pig . . .” Constable Voyce had been unable to help his colleague because he had more than he could handle with one of the defendant’s companions. Constable Hughes had tried to escape but had been slashed continually with the chain and had been hit with a sledgehammer. As the youths had left the scene they had smashed

police-car windows and the windows of a security van which had arrived to help. The windows of another car had also been smashed. After going to Tokoroa and converting a Morris Oxford car Taylor and three companions had gone back to Rotorua where Taylor had given some cannabis he had found in the car to the leader of the Filthy Few gang. Taylor and Groves had gone to Hamilton early on Tuesday morning and had been ordered to stop by a traffic officer when Taylor had been seen to be driving without a seat belt. Traffic Officer Leaf had been attacked by Taylor, who had held a screwdriver at his throat. Groves had held the officer’s arms behind his back while Taylor had punched him in the face and kicked him in the groin. The officer had fallen to the ground and had been kicked again. As the youths had tried to leave the scene their car had crashed and they had been arrested. At Rotorua Robert John Bryant, aged 22, a labourer, of Rotorua, appeared in the Magistrate’s Court, and a youth aged 16, appeared in the Children and Young Persons Court. They were

remanded to a hearing in Tauranga on August 28 when dates will be set for the taking of depositions. Bryant was remanded in custody and the youth was allowed bail.

Both were charged with assaulting Constable Hughes to avoid arrest or to facilitate the flight of themselves and others on the commission of a crime and with unlawfully taking a motor-cycle. Sergeant E. A. Lines said that more serious charges might be laid against Bryant. At Tauranga Graham Anthony Hughes, aged 19, a builder’s labourer, of Mount Maunganui, Whs charged in the Magistrate’s Court with threatening to kill Constable Voyce, unlawfully taking a motor-cycle, unlawfully taking a car, stealing a camera, four camera lenses, a camera bag, and miscellaneous clothing and possessing cannabis on different dates. Mr P. T. Rice, S.M., remanded him in custody to August 28. Sergeant R. E. Lynch said further charges were likely to be laid.