Woman ‘held at knifepoint, neck roped’

Press, 4 February 1982, Page 5

Woman ‘held at knifepoint, neck roped’

Michael Albert Momo. aged 21, held his de facto wife at knife-point, with a rope around her neck, because he wanted police to drive him to Sunnyside Hospital. the District Court was told vesterdav.

Mo’mo appeared before Judge Frampton and pleaded guilty of assaulting Christine Avis Hawley. Detective Sergeant C. A. MacLeod said the police had been called to a Braddon Street address on the evening of January 19. They had watched the defendant, who had a rope held tightly around the woman's neck, through a hole in the wall. Momo had made a number of demands to the police, saying he would harm the woman if these were not met. The demands included being driven to Sunnyside Hospital. The .defendant said he needed help from the hospital. The police surgeon was called and spoke to Momo. The defendant and the woman, with the rope still heid tightly wound round her neck by Momo, were then driven to Sunnyside. After some time Momo released his grip on the rope and was taken to the Central Police Station and charged with assault. Defence counsel (Miss F. Bolwell) said that the defendant’s de facto wife, Christine Hawley, hhd stood by him and visited him in prison every day. The Judge remanded Momo in custody until February 10 for a probation report and sentence. Because of the situation surrounding the offence Momo should not be at liberty until a full probation report had been made, he said. BENEFIT FRAUD Angelis Hinekateria Morrison, a taxi-driver, aged 31. admitted collecting $737 in unemployment benefit while working as a taxi driver. Detective Sergeant MacLeod said that Morrison had applied for and received an umemployment benefit from August 22, 1980. until September 14. 1980. and from Februarv 11. 1981. until March 31, 1981. Inquiries by the Social Welfare Department showed she was employed as a taxidriver with Blue Star Taxis at these times. Morrison was remanded at large until February 24 for a probation report and sentence. She was also ordered to attend a community service assessment and to make arrangements for the repayment of the money outstanding. YOUTH JAILED If Leslie John Ferguson, aged 17, unemployed, wished to spend the greater part of his adult life in prison he was certainly going the right way, the Judge said. Ferguson was jailed for nine months on charges of stealing a gas-operated pistol valued at $63 from Smiths

City Market, Ltd. at Riccarton Mall, driving while disqualified and careless driving. On December 22. Ferguson was sentenced to six months periodic detention and within a matter of days he had offended again which indicated he was a regular and determined offender, the Judge said. SQUARE ASSAULT 'll was a type of assault normally calling for a custodial sentence because of the violence and the injuries suffered by the complainant, but this was his first conviction for assault, said the Judge. Rangiaho Paul Graham, aged 26. unemployed, was sentenced to four months periodic detention on a charge of assaulting Mark Thomas Frost on January 27. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell said that the unprovoked assault committed in the presence of the police in Cathedral Square called for a deterrent sentence. Graham's explanation was that Mr Frost had got one of his friends “locked up." PAPER THEFTS Three people were convicted on separate charges of stealing a newspaper from an honesty box. Detective Sergeant MacLeod said the police had kept watch on a “Press” honesty box at Church Corner on December 3. Between 45 and 50 per cent of the papers in the box were' taken without payment each day. he told the Court. The police had apprehended the three defendants, all of whom had put some money in the box but not the required 20 cents. Kim Joanne Turnbull, aged 21, a factory worker, was fined $5O, Robert Tony Robinson, aged 23. a welder, was fined $5O, and Rosann McElhannan, aged 24, a receptionist, was fined $3O. COMMUNITY SERVICE A sentence of 100 hours of community service and 12 months probation was imposed on an unemployed woman who admitted stealing two purses on December 22.

Junie Tonihi had taken the handbags, which contained two rings worth $llOO, from the hotel room of Elsie Florence Findlay. Tonihi, aged 21, had been drinking in the bar of the United Services Hotel. The complainant had returned to her room to find the defendant with the handbags.