Man carried knife for ‘own protection’

Press, 3 February 1982, Page 4

Man carried knife for ‘own protection’

A labourer, who carried a 12in (31cm) knife for his own protection after having been shot in a ‘'gang-related incident,” was convicted and sentenced to three months non-residential periodic detention and 12 months probation when he appeared in the District Court yesterday.

Michael Alexandra Emslie, aged 17, appeared before Judge Frampton on charges of having an offensive weapon in Oxford Terrace, the theft of a wallet from a parked car, both on January 2, and attempting to steal a jerry can, valued at $4O belonging to Gavjn Jordon on September 27. / - He previously pleaded guilty to all charges. , Counsel for the defencant, Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon, told the Court that approximately three weeks before being apprehended with , the knife Emslie had been shot.

He had been the subject of much publicity as a result of the shooting and the police had considered laying a charge of attempted murder. On his release, from hospital Emslie had begun to carry the knife for his protection, fearing a repetition of the shooting. The defendant no longer carried a knife, said Mr Fitzgibbon.

The theft of the wallet and contents valued at $65 had occurred when Emslie was unemployed and in need of money. He how had a job at the National Marae.

SIX MONTHS JAIL • Sentences totalling six months imprisonment were imposed on Robert John. Hodges, aged 23, a painter, who appeared for sentence on charges of unlawfully taking a car, assaulting a constable, and driving .while disqualified on January 1. The defendant received a six-month jail term for unlawfully taking the car, which the police said had been written off by the defendant and for which an insurance firm had paid out $1797, and concurrent terms of . two months on the other charges.- ' His driving licence was cancelled for 18 months. . COMMUNITY SERVICE A sentence of 150 hours of community service, and a year’s probation, were imposed on Marea Lee Sharp, aged 18, when she appeared for sentence on two charges of unlawfully converting cars, and three charges of theft of property totalling $2159, including $2034 worth from the two cars she took.

Her driving licence was also cancelled for a year. She had previously admitted the offences, with which she was charged jointly with another young woman. Her counsel (Mr N. P. Chapman) had sought a sentence of community service or probation. He said the offences had occurred shortly after she had been made redundant, and was

worried about her lack of money and work. BENEFIT FRAUD A man collected the unemployment benefit while he had a job in a “last ditch attempt” to save his marriage, the Court was told.”, Michael John Nolan, aged 37, unemployed, appeared on a charge of obtaining $5OO from the Social Welfare Department by fraud between September 5 and November 23 last year; The police prosecutor (Sergeant K. T. Boyle) said that Nolan had applied for the benefit in September despite having a- job.-He had subsequently made two declarations to the Social Welfare Department saying he was unemployed. Inquiries by the Social Welfare Department had shown that Nolan was working and not entitled to the benefit. When questioned the defendant had freely admitted receiving the benefit and said that he thought it would stop when he got a job. It had not and he had decided to keep it because he was under pressure to pay debts that he had. Counsel for the defence (Mr T. K. Quirk) told the Court that Nolan had kept the money to pay debts and in an attempt to save his marriage.

The defendant had repaid $144 to the Welfare Department. He had lost his job since committing the offence

and weekly payments had been deducted from his unemployment benefit. Nolan how had another job and would Continue to pay off the $356 outstanding. He was convicted and given a suspended sentence and ordered to make repayments of $lO a week to the Welfare Department. SLAUGHTERED LAMB A man who stole a lamb from the Canterbury By-Pro-ducts abattoir paddocks in Waterloo Road was fined $lOO and ordered to pay $3O compensation to the abattoir. Mathew Edmund Hall, aged 20, a labourer, pleaded guilty to stealing the lamb, valued at $3O, and slaughtering it in the garage of his Strickland Street flat on February 1. ./ He had taken the lamb to provide meat for himself and his flatmates. The defendant had worked as a slaughterman and the lamb had suffered no unnecessary cruelty. ROBBERY CHARGE A woolstore worker was remanded without plea when he appeared on a charge of robbery. Joseph Governor Pahau, aged 19, is jointly charged with Hudson Hill with robbing Boyd Napier Roberts of a 1973 Triumph Bonneville motor-cycle valued at. $3lOO. The alleged offence ' took place on January 14. Pahau was remanded on bail until February 9.