Motorist sent to prison

Press, 24 June 1981, Page 4

Motorist sent to prison

A man,- who was earlier convicted on two charges of driving while disqualified and one charge of driving under the influence of alcohol, was sent to prison for 12 months by Judge Fogarty in the District Court yesterday. Appearing for sentence was Terence Andrew Harper (Mr S. G. Barker), aged 34. In addition to the prison term the Judge disqualified Harper from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for three years. The Judge said the defendant had previously been convicted on seven occasions for driving while disqualified and the same number of times for driving with an excess blood-alcohol level.

“You have a distinct penchant for driving when you have been drinking,” said Judge Fogarty.

He said he saw no alternative but to impose a term of imprisonment. Harper is already disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence until 1991.

The three . offences for which he appeared for sentence were committed in February and March this year. , : ;j.; CORRECTIVE TRAINING

A man, aged 18, who was earlier convicted of robbing an Ashburton shop assistant of $3B was sent to the corrective training centre at Rolleston, when he appeared for sentence.

The Judge told Allan James Cadogan, an unemployed butcher, that he could not agree with the submission of , his counsel (Mr K. J. Grave) that the offence had been little more than theft.

The female shop assistant had been "quite shocked” by the incident, he said. It was, he said, the manner in which the defendant behaved rather than the amount involved. What concerned him, the Judge said, was that the

defendant seemed to have a problem with drink and perhaps drugs. According to the probation report, Cadogan had- said that at the time of committing the robbery he had been under the influence of drink or drugs, the Judge said. . Counsel (Mr Grave) said his client had committed the offence to obtain $4 for a bus fare to Christchurch where he sought to be admitted to Sunnyside Hospital. Although Cadogan > had pushed, the shop assistant, said Mr Grave, it was not a violent act but had been done to gain access to a drawer.

PERIODIC DETENTION A man earlier convicted on charges or burglary, receiving, and the possession of 227 cannabis seeds, was sentenced to periodic detention for the maximum period of 12 months. William David Lawrence, aged 21, (Mr M. J. Knowles) was also put on probation for 12 months and fined $lOO on the cannabis offence. THEFT CHARGES A man charged with stealing three bags of dried blood, valued at $B2, was remanded at large to July 7. Joseph Howard, aged 59, a blood processor, did not plead.:

He is alleged to have stolen the blood, the property of the Canterbury Frozen Meat Company, Ltd, on February 20. A farmer, aged 39, who is alleged to have received the bags of dried- i blood from Howard the same, day, was also remanded at large to the same date.

Although he did not plead to the charge his counsel (Mr G. T. Mahon) said the charge would be denied.

His application for interim suppression of the defendant’s name was granted by the Judge,