Knife incident at prison

Press, 2 February 1982, Page 4

Knife incident at prison

James Raika, aged 24, claimed that a woman prison officer had over-reacted to his taking out a pocket knife while visiting a women’s prison on January 16, Sergeant G. C. Jones said in the District Court yesterday. The defendant admitted a charge of unlawfully intro-

ducing a knife into a women’s prison and was fined $75. Sergeant Jones said a prison officer saw the defendant pull out a knife from his back pocket while visiting Rolleston women’s prison, and hold the blade out in an open position.

The police were called and the defendant again produced the knife and took several steps towards a police officer. He was struck on the wrist with a baton and dropped the knife. The. prison officer had felt threatened and the defendant’s action caused considerable concern to the police officer, Sergeant Jones said. The defendant told police that he always carried a knife with him. ,' Counsel (Mr G. D. Horne) said the knife was a small pocket-knife which the defendant used as a screwdriver. The knife had opened inside his clothing and he had taken it out to close it. He‘ extended the knife in a light-hearted manner and considered the police and prison officer had over-re-acted. He had not had time to hand the knife to' the pojice before it was knocked from his hand. , , Judge Framptbn said that, after hearing counsel’s submissions, he would impose a monetary penalty. It was obviously a small pocket knife. CAR CONVERSION An unemployed youth, who appeared before Judge Frampton in the District Court for sentence on a charge of attempted conversion of a car on January 15, had severe problems coping in adult society, his counsel told the Court. Wayne Michael Charnley,

aged 18, had a number of disabilities with respect to his health, his previous home life, his development skills and the influence of his older brother, said Mr N. P. Chapman. Although Charnley was - charged jointly with his brother for the offence, he denied that his brother was involved, said Mr Chapman. . He had attempted to take the car to travel to Temuka to see a girlfriend who was living there. In sentencing Charnley to corrective training the Judge told the defendant that his offences were more sophisticated than his abilities, listed in the probation report, would indicate. Previous sentences for other offences had not acted as a deterrent. The defendant had committed the offence on the same day as he had been, convicted and sentenced in the District Court for previous offences.