The courts Air-rifle offence in street brings fine

Press, 27 November 1979, Page 14

The courts Air-rifle offence in street brings fine

A painter, who pleaded' guilty to having an air rifle in his possession in Perth Street on Sunday night without lawful authority, was' convicted and fined $2OO when he appeared before Mr, J. S. Bisphan, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. The Magistrate told Neil William Newton, aged 23,1 that consideration could be| given to a custodial type of' sentence but he was pre-; pared to take a chance this time. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell said the defendant had become involved with a neighbour over a domestic matter. He had produced an air rifle which he had pretended to load and fire into the air. While the armed offenders squad was in the process of I being called out Newton; gave himself up to a police patrol. The rifle was not loaded, said Sergeant Caldwell. In explanation the defendant had told the police that he had been threatened by a neighbour earlier in the day. Had it been necessary he said he would have hit the Jneighbour with it. Newton, who did not seek legal representation, said he had been accused by a neighbour of stealing petrol from his brother-in-law’s car, and he had been threatened with getting his head knocked off. When he arrived back at his Perth Street address he had found the neighbour and his mother-in-law waiting for him. He had then produced the air rifle. COMMUNITY WORK A woman, who had earlier been convicted of forging a bank book to show a false credit balance of $BOO, was! placed on probation for; 18 months and ordered to undertake 150 hours of community work. Te Rau Aroha Kingi, aged 21, was also ordered to pay compensation of $649.

Forgery was always considered a very serious offence and one which would normally call for a custodial sentence, said the Magistrate. But because it was the defendant’s firt offence, he ■said he would not impose a custodial sentence on this occasion. 1 Last week Kingi admitted i committing the offence on Mav 11 at Tolaga Bay. I The Magistrate had been ’told that the defendant had ■ returned home to celebrate her twenty-first birthday, the cost of which Kingi was to contribute. The defendant had altered her bank book to give it the appearance o having a credit balance of $BOO. She had then made a number of 'withdrawals toalling $649. ; She had told the police (that the offence had been 'committed because she was (too proud to tell her mother she had no money. The offence had been com'mitted largely out of the ■ defendant’s inability to con- ' tribute to her birthday ■ party, said counsel (Mr E. Bedb). CHARGES DENIED Charges of receiving, burglary and possessing an offensive weapon were denied by Kenneth John Crown, aged 25, a labourer. He was remanded to January 24 for a defended hearing. Crown is alleged to have received 17 bottles of liquor and 28 packets of cigarettes, valued at $l5B, the property of the Hornby Rugby League Club on October 24. He is also alleged to have broken into and entered a Fitzgerald Avenue garage on October 21, and to have been in possession of an offensive weapon. Bail of $lOOO, with two sureties of the same amount, was continued. Daily reporting was also ordered. REMANDED David Ford Gay, aged 24,

a labourer, was remanded on bail of $2250 to December 3 on three charges involving theft, burglary and cultivat-i ing cannabis. Gay is alleged to have' stolen a $2700 car, the property of Christopher Eamonh White, and to have broken into and entered the i Ensors Road premises of 'Cornerway Cars, Ltd. Both the alleged offences were 'said to have occurred on November 20. He is also alleged to have cultivated cannabis on November 23. No pleas were entered. In addition to bail, which had been opposed by the police, Gay was ordered to report daily to the police. i INDECENCY CHARGES A man, aged 49, already facing one charge of indecency involving a boy under the age of 16, had three further charges laid against him yesterday. The defendant now faces three charges of permitting 'the boy to do an indecent act on him on three separate i occasions, and another charge of him doing an in-' decent act on the boy’s 13-year-old brother. No pleas were entered, land the defendant, who was [granted the continued interim suppression of his name, was remanded on bail to December 10 to enable a psychiatric examination to be made. The names of the two complainants were also suppressed. SEX CHARGE A labourer, aged 19, was further remanded to December 3 on a charge of the attempted rape of a girl, aged 12. The offence is alleged to have, occurred on November 1. The defendant, who was granted interim suppression of his name, is also alleged to have driven while disqualified on November 23. No pleas were entered.