Customs officer, detective remanded for hearing

Press, 3 October 1979, Page 4

Customs officer, detective remanded for hearing

A customs officer and a I detective have each been re■manded at large to October 1 30 for the taking of depositions on a total of 21 pri:vate prosecutions, alleging I perjury, laid in the Magistrate's Court by a Tirnaru ■man. In addition to the seven charges already laid against the two men 14 new prosecutions were added yesterday by Wallace Bruce Reed, self-employed, of 89 Orbelll Street, Tirnaru. All the charges are laid! indictably. In the charges — 13 against the detective and eight against the customs officer — Mr Reed alleges that both men committed perjury and attempted to pervert the course of justice with the intention of bringing about the conviction of his son, Gregory Carl Reed, on a charge of importing heroin. At the request of counsel (Mr R. L. Kerr) on behalf of the customs officer, and Mr K. N. Hampton, for the detective. Mr K. W. Frampton, S.M., granted a continuance of the interim suppression of the names of the two men. Mr Reed challenged the continued interim suppression. He said the two men, because of the proceedings, had colleagues who would be under the shadow of suspicion. The depositions on October 30 would not be a joint hearing but would take place separately, said Mr Hampton. Originally convicted on a charge of importing heroin, which he denied, Gregory Carl Reed was convicted and sentenced to jail for six years. After 17 months Reed w s retried and discharged. PERIODIC DETENTION An unemployed man convicted on a charge of converting a $5OOO bus tow truck, the property of the Christchurch Transport Board, was sentenced to periodic detention for five months. Last week Peter Walker Momo. aged 20, had told the police that he had “borrowed" the truck on September 22 to pick up his brother at Lyttelton. The police had been called after reports of the erratic driving of the bus tow truck in the Lyttelton road tunnel at 2.50 a.m. Counsel (Mr S. G. Barker) I said the truck had been returned undameed and that Memo’s motivation for the offence had been a method of his “getting back" at his father. CHARGES DENIED A woman who denied eight charges alleging theft, false pretence, and using a document for the purpose of obtaining a pecuniary advantage, was remanded to November 14 for a defended hearing. The Magistrate allowed Wilma Dawn Jones, aged 34, unemployed, bail of $750 with a surety of the same amount, and ordered her to report daily to the police. The charges involve the defendant obtaining cash, cheques and coins to a total value of $1582. The alleged

i (offences all occurred in •■Christchurch last month. r j(Before Mr P. J. McAloon. 1 ; sad CANNABIS CHARGES ' A charge against Martin 11 Joseph Hickey, aged 37. of • | having in his possession a iiclass C d r ug. cannabis plant. | was dismissed by the Magistrate. .( He accepted the evidence: called by the defence that al ■ friend of the defendant, who( was a regular smoker of! ([cannabis and stayed often at the defendant's house, had! [ placed three roaches (butts) | [ of cannabis cigarettes on a 2[ metre (6ft 7in)-high ledge in'; the bathroom where policejl I found them on June 24. , However, the defendant] was convicted on a charge of having in his possession ■ cannabis seeds which were 1 discovered in a hot-water : cupboard. He was fined $lOO for this ! offence. The defendant, who denied >

both charges, was represented by Mr K. N. Hampton. Sergeant R. IL Proulmg prosecuted. Police evidence was given that when a police party visited the defendant's house, three butts totalling 19 milligrams of cannabis were found on a high, narrow ledge in the bathroom. Fifteen seeds were found on a saucer in a hot-watcr : cupboard. A friend of the defendant said he had left the three ■butts on the ledge after ( smoking them in the bath, : when staying at the defendant's house the weekend of his arrest. He had saved the seeds from the butts. He had telephoned the defendant to say he was returning to collect his belongings. and intended taking the seeds. The defendant said in evi-1 dence that he only knew of.

the existence of the seeds an ■ hour before the police .called. The Magistrate said tha defendant could not have been expected to know of the presence of the butts oil the 2m-high ledge. He dis- ! missed the charge of possession of cannabis plant. However, the defendant knew of the seeds an hour before they were to be collected. He had possession of the seeds and the necessary ' mental element. , Mr Hampton submitted [that, although the defendant '[was found to have possesjsion of the seeds, he had been in a difficult situation .of "conflicting loyalties." as ‘[his friend had advised ha [ would call soon for his possessions. j He said it was a technical (offence, and sought a discharge without conviction. [ Sergeant Prouting said the [offence went beyond being a ';technical breach.