Man remanded on charge of murder

Press, 20 January 1981, Page 7

Man remanded on charge of murder

A 37-year-old man charged with the murder of his wife at Ashburton last month was yesterday remanded in custody to March 30 for the taking of depositions in the District Court at Ashburton. Kenneth Lionel Duncan, unemployed, appeared in the District Court at Christchurch before Judge Bradford.

Duncan (Mr S. G. Erber) is alleged to have murdered Nicola Sharon Duncan, aged 23. on December 16.

He did not plead. The body of Mrs Duncan was found in the Rakaia Gorge area. Duncan was earlier granted interim suppression of his name while undergoing a psychiatric examination at Sunnyside Hospital.

Mr Erber did not seek a continuation of the order when ..his client appeared briefly in court yesterday. The depositions are expected to take two days to complete. $4OOO BAIL

Bail was set at $4OOO when Warren Herbert McFaul appeared on a charge of attempted arson. McFaul, aged 25,. unemployed, is charged with attempting to wilfully set fire to a house in Manchester Street, Tinwald, on January 4. The defendant is also charged with carelessly using a car on the same day. McFaul (Mr S. C. Barker) was remanded without plea to appear in the District Court at Ashburton on January 26. Mr Barker indicated that a

plea of not guilty would be entered to the attempted arson charge. ASSAULT CHARGE DENIED An unemployed man charged with assaulting another man with intent to injure him at Ashburton on January 2 denied the alleged offence. Michael Patrick O’Connor, aged 32, unemployed, is alleged to have assaulted Clive Roydon William Ferris.

O’Connor (Mr J. J. Brandts-Giesen) was remanded in custody to March 23 for a defended hearing. CHARGE DENIED

Brian Noel Pattison, aged 27, a gardner, denied a charge of burglary. He was remanded on bail to March 23 for a defended hearing.

Pattison is alleged to have burgled the Orbell Street premises of Wilder Transport, Ltd, on December 20 from where goods, to a total value of $127,000, were taken. BENCH WARRANT

Because of his non-appear-ance on 20 charges of false pretence, involving property to a total value of $3864, a bench warrant was issued for the arrest of Christopher Mark Berry. The alleged offences were committed last September. Bail was granted earlier in the High Court. SIX MONTHS JAIL

Two brothers earlier convicted of burgling a butchers’ warehouse on January 4 were each sent to prison for

six months when they appeared for sentence. In addition. John Raymond Watts, aged 19, unemployed, and Wayne Rexton Watts, aged 23, a labourer, were each put on probation for 12 months and disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years. Both men had earlier pleaded guilty to breaking and entering the warehouse of Wallis Bros., Kingsley Street.

The two men were apprehended on the roof of the building after the police had cordoned off the area. The Judge said it was clear from the police summary that the two defendants were out to steal a sizeable quantity of meat. Counsel (Mr M. J. Glue) said before the “spur of the moment” offence both men had been on a drinking spree. JAIL AND BORSTAL One man was sent to prison for six months and a youth was sentenced to Borstal training after being convicted of the attempted “smash and grab” burglary of a Christchurch jewellers last October, and of converting a car. Mark Paul Hooper, aged 20, a car wrecker (Mr G. H. Nation) and Samuel Frederick Takimoana, aged 18, a scrub cutter (Mr M. J. Knowles) had both admitted joint charges of attempting to break and enter Kennetts Jewellers, in High Street, and to unlawfully taking a car belonging to Donald James Taylor.