Police sergeant charged with Customs breaches

Press, 9 May 1981, Page 4

Police sergeant charged with Customs breaches

A Greymouth police sergeant was prosecuted in the Christchurch District Court yesterday on four charges under the Customs Act arising from his allegedly making erroneous Customs declarations when bringing a large .quantity of purchases back to New Zealand after a trip to Australia with his wife last December.

The, defendant, Wayne Leslie Ford, aged 29 (Mr J. Cadenhead) denied the charges.

After two Customs officers had given evidence Judge Frampton adjourned the hearing to May 20 for completion. There are two more prosecution witnesses to be called.

The charges of making an erroneous declaration upon arriving in New Zealand from Melbourne last December 6 by failing to include two radios, a radio cassette recorder, camera, food processor, and an electric iron; making an erroneous declaration by declaring the purchase price of a rifle as

$6O (the true purchase price was $119); two radio cassette recorders as $228 ($491), a sandwich toaster $l2 ($3l), two electric knives $24 ($45), and a microwave oven $240 ($415); a charge of landing in New Zealand and dealing with a .22 calibre rifle valued at $195 (New Zealand currency), radio cassettes valued "at $6OO and $525, a sandwich toaster valued at $59. two electric knives valued at $64, and a microwave oven valued at $lOB5, with intent to defraud the revenue of Customs; and intending to defraud Customs by failing to declare five items imported into New Zealand — radios valued at $B5 and $lB, a radio cassette recorder $275, a camera $55, and a food processor $6O.

Mr D. J. L. Saunders, outlining the charges for the Customs Department, said the defendant and his wife returned to New Zealand last December 6 after five weeks in Australia.

Because the value of some items on his Customs de-

claration appeared to be too low, his luggage was examined. Receipts of purchases showed the values he had declared were generally 40 to 60 per cent under the declared value. The defendant explained that the Customs guide stated that he should declare the items at the manufacturer’s price. However, he was not able to find this reference when requested by a Customs officer. The defendant then said it' must have been in an earlier copy of the guide he had obtained in Greymouth. However, there had been no reference to manufacturers’ prices in the earlier edition. The defendant contended when interviewed about undeclared goods that they were gifts and he had misinterpreted what he was supposed to declare. Peter Fussell, a Customs officer, gave evidence of searching the defendant’s luggage, which comprised a shoulder bag, hand bag, two

carry bags, and two suitcases. Goods which he found were not declared included an electric iron, camera, transistor radio, food processor, three stereo radios, a snack maker, two electric knives, a .22 calibre rifle, and microwave oven. He 'detailed a number of items under-valued in the declaration, compared with the receipts for them. Mr Fussell said that during the search the defendant appeared to be very nervous and at the end of it'his hands were shaking very badly. The officer in charge of the Greymouth C. 1.8., Detec-tive-Sergeqnt-T. J. Gorman, was called by the defence before the Court ' was adjourned, to give evidence as to the defendant’s good character. He said the defendant was one of the up and coming sergeants in the New Zealand Police, and had received a Commissioner’s commendation in 1977, and was scrupulously honest.