Robber ‘bought cannabis’

Press, 3 June 1981, Page 4

Robber ‘bought cannabis’

An unemployed painter who admitted robbing a , teller at the Cranford Street branch of the Post Office of $866, later told the police ; that he had spent $250 of it on cannabis, said Sergeant M. P. Caldwell in the District Court yesterday. Kara Kata Lupo (Mr D. H. Stringer), aged 27. was convicted ■ of robbing Beverly I Ann Bell of the money on May 28 while armed with a .303 rifle. •' , Judge Pain remanded him in custody for sentencing in the High ’Court at a date to be fixed. Sergeant Caldwell said that Lupo, wearing a fullface crash helmet, had entered the Cranford Street branch of the Post Office at 12.40 p.m. on May 28. Using an elderly female customer as a shield Lupo had pointed the cut-down

rifle at the teller and had demanded money. Once the banknotes had been put in a bag the defendant had left the premises telling the staff to give him a two minutes start. Outside he had jumped on a motor-cycle, the engine of which was kept running by a younger alleged co-offender. Later that afternoon the motor-cycle, two crash helmets. and the rifle . were recovered. Sergeant Caldwell said the defendant was later located in bed by a police party. Lupo admitted the offence and said he went to at least two other Post Office branches that morning, with the rifle in a bag, but in each there were too many other people about. Lupo had said that the firearm with which he committed the robbery had not

been loaded at the time, but he admitted that he had six rounds of ammunition in the bag with him. Lupo had given the alleged co-offender $B5 and had sent him home in a taxi after the motor-cycle. had been abandoned. ■ A small quantity of cannabis was found in the defendant’s bedroom. Of the money stolen only $287 had been ..recovered, said Sergeant Caldwell. Other than saying he had planned an armed robbery Lupo gave no other explanation for the offence. Counsel said he had been instructed to seek bail. CUSTODY REMAND A labourer, aged 43, facing a charge of attempted rape was remanded in custody to June 17 for the taking of depositions.

.., Wally Poa is alleged to have committed the. offence on a girl, aged 10, on May 24. Yesterday Poa faced an additional charge of abduct? ing the girl. with the intention of having sexual intercourse with her. ; « The charges relate to an incident in Woodham £ark, Avonside, when a man alleged to have been found molesting a young girl;, was chased by members of. the public. CHARGES DENIED A trainee teacher, charged with threatening to kill a man and with the unlawful possession of a carving knife in Papanui Road, was remanded to July 20 for a defended hearing. The defendant (Mr S. G. Barker) is alleged to have committed the offences on May 14.

At the request of counsel bail of $3OOO and the interim suppression of the defendant’s name were continued. ASSAULT CHARGE A man charged with assaulting Stephen Mathew Preston with intent to injure was remanded in custody to June 5. Andrew Richard Collins, aged 19. is alleged to. have committed the offence on May 5. He is also charged with breaking into Foresters Tavern the next day. Collins (Mr G. D. Horne) did not plead to the charges. THEFT CHARGE Mark Sydney McAllister, aged 18, unemployed, denied one charge of burglary and another of stealing a colour television set. He was remanded on bail to July 14 for a defended hearing.