Jail for cigarette thefts

Press, 26 March 1980, Page 4

Jail for cigarette thefts

Two men jointly charged and convicted of stealing 11 cartons of cigarettes, valued at $5OOO. were each jailed for six months when they ap-l peared for sentence before: Mr B. A. Raimer, S.M., in l the Magistrate's Court yes-, terday. The offence was a very grave one and anyone in-i volved in pilfering on such a: scale must be prepared to> pay the consequences, hej said. Last week Bruce Desmond I Davies, aged 26, a fitter and ! turner, and Malcolm Gary! Muir, aged 23, a barman, ad-1 mitted stealing the cigarettes; which at the time were; under the control of the Rail-1 ways Department. The Magistrate had beeni told that, on March 11 thei two defendants, and a third co-offender. had broken the padlocks of railway waggons'

in a siding near Carlyle Street and had removed several cartons of cigarettes which they had then taken to [a house in St Albans for 'storage. The two defendants had been caught when re,turning to the waggons to 'collect the rest of the cartons. I Both defendants also ad'mitted and were convicted of iobtaining three spray guns and an angle sander, to a 'total value of $641, the property of S. Hindin and Sons. I Lid,' by means of a false presence. i Davies was also convicted: ‘of receiving a cheque book; on or about February 29. ] Counsel for Davies (Mr G. IH. Nation) and for Muir (Mr :M. J. Glue) had both' subimitted that their clients had played subordinate roles in Ithe’ cigarette theft offence. i The offences had impressed

him as being too grave and too serious to deal with except by way of a custodial sentence, the Magistrate said. On the false pretence offences the Magistrate directed that each defendant pay $320 to the complainant J firin. Because a vehicle was used in the theft of the cigarettes, each defendant was disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for 12 months. ASSAULT OFFENCES A man who twice assaulted hi«s de facto wife, and i caused $1546 worth of ■damage to property belonging! I to her, was convicted and re-j I manded in custody to April II for a probation report and; sentence.. ; Kenneth Raymond Ambler,! aged 22, pleaded guilty to 1 assaulting his de facto wife on two occasions, and to willfully damaging the woman’s property. All three offences j occurred on March 7 ; On a further charge that! with intent to injure he, assaulted his de facto wife, Ambler pleaded not guilty.| The defendant was remanded, to April 1 on- that, charge when he appears for sentence on the other three offences. Sergeant K. J. HurndelL said that on March 7 the| complainant was holding al twenty-first birthday party l at her flat. The defendant and the woman had been; living together for sixi months. . I It was when the woman’ ihad gone into the bedroom Ito put on a record that the. I defendant, who was intoxicated, had grabbed her, thrown,her on the bed and sat' astride her. and then proceeded to hit her, said Sergeant HurndelL

After everyone had left the flat Ambler had then

1 gone through the flat smashing property. lj Sergeant Hurndell said the ■llatter, .worth $l4OO, was ■(damaged beyond repair. H Earnshaw was granted J bail of $l5OO and ordered to i report daily to the police. ■ >; The next morning Ambler; ’ihad gone to a house at; q'Springston. There he had' (dragged his de facto wile ■from her bed on to the floor! I where he had kicked her in, | the left eye with his boot. ; Sergeant Hurndell said II Ambler had told the woman, 'ithat if she did not go with; jhim to Christchurch he; : ‘would do her more harm. ‘ i The complainant accom- ■ Ipanied the defendant and I while waiting at Sunnyside' (for a friend Ambler had! (struck her in the face caus-j ! ing her nose to bleed.