Shot husband to ‘scare’ him

Press, 27 February 1981, Page 5

Shot husband to ‘scare’ him

.. housewife, aged 25, who s .ot her husband, had done so ‘j scare him in order to get I.’ i to discuss their rial affairs, said Serge nt G. C. Jones in the District Court yesterday.

The woman, who was granted final suppressir i of her name, was convicted and en a 12-month deferred sentence. The Judge said he accepted that when the woman discharged the firearm it was not with he intention of shooting her husband. However, it was conduct deserving extreme censure and penalty. The woman, a mother of three, had pleaded guilty to a charge that on January 12, I y carelessly using a .22 calibre .Lie, she caused bodily injury to her husband. Sergeant Jones said at 5.15 p.m. on January 12 the complainant was : leep in the bedroom of his hom.e The defendant went into the room where she picked up a rifle she had loaded earlier, and shot her sleeping husband.

The bullet entered the right chest. He was taken to hospital, operated on, and the bullet removed. Sergeant Jones said that earlier rhat afternoon the couple had a small disagreement over their financial affairs.

Counsel (Mrs M. R. Evans) said the rifle had been ■’a the bedroom since last being used by the defendant’s husband. It had not been left there to facilitate txe offence.

The de..ndart L. d into the bedroom from the hall: had she wanted to do! serious harm she could havej fired at point blank range. ( When the r’ le was fired! •vas, said Mrs Evr".s, a way cf saying: “Pay attention.” The defendant, a first offender, and her h.sband are ; again ving together. She is not a good housekeeper and mar ger and the couple had considerable <’ ’its, she said. ASSAULTED WOMAN A man who hit a vaman in the face with his closed: fist with such force that she! was knocked across a settee! and left semi-conscious, told; the police it was “over! snm king stupid.” Bruce James Stewart, agedi 22, unemployed, who had' admitted a .ultir.g a female; on February 11. was convicted and remanded to March 12 for a probation report and sentence. Sergeant Jones said the offer,:' 1 iccurred at a city!' hotel where the defendant! was drinking with the com-[! plainant and friends. r The assault took place; when she returned t the;, defendant after going across! the roc ’ to speak to a[ friend. The woman ’-nd to have' four stitches to a cut above, her eye. S r ewart said in ex-; planation that he did not re-[ alise he had hit the com-' plainant s;< hard. > $2OOO BAIL [ a carpenter, aged 31,! charged with another person! of -ailing cannabis to a per-1

j son of, or over, the age of 18, was rema*-without [pin- to March 5. [ Raymond Thomas Graham! (was also charged with pos-; lses.-.ing cannabis. [ Both alleged offences are! J to h.-.-e occurred at! Thiff on Feb-'-rv 20. Bail was set at $lOOO together with.a surety of the s e a mt. THEFT CHARGE Tho s Matthews McCallum, unemployed was rei ided withou plea until today on a charge of steal-i'-q a suede jacket valued at [5326. McCallum is alleged to, ihave stolen the jacket, the! I. : rty of Naturally New iZealand Souvenirs, Ltd, on ! Wednesday. I The defendant was re,mandel in cus dy. (Before ’ :dge Patterson) . $4OO FINE An Invercargill man who! topped off a Labour weekend holiday’ in Akaroa withj [.- rouple of “wheelies” in his! Icar, as fined $4OO and had! ;his driving licence c .icelledi ' for nine months. I Stephen Mark Innes, aged( 122, an owner-driver for a! isoft drinks firm, was con-; [victed of driving in a man-i iner ihat could have been! dangerous to passersby on; October 26 Ir. 1 year. Mr A. J. Reid, a fishierman, said that he had been [woken by noise outside his [house n Akaroa at about 11 ! p.m. and from his window [had watched a group of ! people drinking and talking, i Mr Reid said that he had [seen a car do a “wheelie” on

the road ou.’ide his h- [ spinning around twice and, cau ' a lot of smoke to! come from the back wheels. The wheelie had left a' circular mark on the road, he said. Constable G. V. William-! son. of Akaroa, told the! Court that sev-.al com-; plaints about two separate; incidents of these “wheelies”! ta.. . place had been re-[ ported to him at about 10.30; p.m. ; *d 11 p.m. that even-; ing while he was on another job. He said that he had gone; to the site outside Mr Reid’s! house, near the wharf, at; about 1.30 p.m. the next, morning to find large black! circular ty:_ marks and oil' spilled on the road. He had larr found the! defendant at the Akaroa! Motor Camp where he had admitted d -ing the “wheelies.” or “burn outs.”' to be “smart in front of the, crowd” and “to play the; heavy.” The -lefenJant denied mak-[ ing the circular tyre marks! and told the Court that he: had kept his foot on the[ brake all the time and that! the tyres had been spinning[ in the same plr.se in the oil. i He said that the oil had! been supplied by someone! he and a companion picked [ up in the car when they! weie out for a drive. ' I

The Judge said tha' he did not accept the defence that Innes had not made the circular marks on the road and only “burnt out” on the spot where the oil was spilled. , ■