Two men remanded on robbery charges

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 4

Two men remanded on robbery charges

Two men charged with burgling the Prebbleton Tavern and with the aggravated robbery of the licensee were remanded in custody byJudge Frampton until next week.

Peter Marukitipua Awatere. aged 36. a labourer, and Dallas Stewart Tahere. aged 37, unemployed, are alleged to have broken into the tavern on July 12 and to have robbed Mervvn Gilmore of $l6O. Tahere faces an additional charge of assaulting a police officer.

Bail was sought for both defendants and the Judge was told by the duty solicitor (Mr K. J. Grave) that the charges would be vigorously denied by Awatere. Tahere did not plead. Bail was opposed by Detective Sergeant C. A. Macleod who said the charges were serious. Awatere was remanded to Julv 21 and Tahere to July 20.’ Anthony John Laurie Poa. aged 22. unemployed, who is only facing one charge of breaking into the Prebbleton Tavern, was remanded without plea to July 21. he was allowed bail of $l5OO. DEPOSITIONS A man charged with receiving two galahs. a cockatoo. and a bird cage, to a total value- of $1849. elected trial by jury. Wade Philip Smith, aged 27. a firewood contractor, (Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon) was further remanded on bail of $l5OO to August 17 for the taking of depositions. It is alleged that Smith received the cockatoo, valued at $650, and the two galahs, valued at $llOO. the property of Earl Henry Lawrence. on July 3. SCHOOL BURGLARY Three unemployed men who admitted breaking into the administration block of

the Christchurch Boys' High School told the police, when arrested, that they were only looking for the school "tuck" shop, said Detective Sergeant MacLeod.

Clive Neil McClure, aged 20. Robert Geoffrey Matthews, aged 22, and Kerry Andrew Shaw, aged 19. were each convicted and remanded on bail of $lOOO to July 27 for a probation report and sentence. Sergeant MacLeod said at 9.15 p.m. on July 12 the trio went to the school where, using a jemmy bar, they forced open a door at the rear of the basement. They then made their wayup to the administration block where an alarm was activated and the trio was apprehended by the caretaker. ROBBERY CHARGE Lliana Michelle Wilson, aged 18. unemployed, who is jointly charged with a cooffender, aged 16, of robbing Tania Grace of $2. was remanded on bail of $lOOO to July 20. Wilson, who was represented by thO duty solicitor (Mr Grave) is alleged to have committed the offence on April 16. The charge is laid indictably. ■ f No plea was entered. PROBATION A student earlier convicted of stealing a leather wallet containing three diamond rings and sundry’articles, to a value of $753, was put on probation for 12 months when he appeared for sentence. Russell James. King, aged 17. (Mr M. J. Glue) was also ordered to pay $23 in compensation for. the loss of the wallet.

King had removed the wallet from a shopping basket in the open door of a toilet on the fifth floor of the B.N.Z. building on June 16. He had removed the rings from the wallet, wrapped

them in a tissue, and had put them in a drawer in his bedroom. It was King's intention to sell them after a period of time. He was arrested on the seventh floor of the bank building on June 21. DISCHARGED A fisherman, charged with possessing pethidine, a ciassB controlled drug, was discharged without conviction after pleading guilty. Charles Ronald Edward Morgan, aged 47, was charged with committing the offence between january 1 and July 8. Sergeant C. J. Cole said as a result of information received the police executed a search warrant at the defendant's address on July 8. Four pethidine tablets were found which had been prescribed for the defendant by his doctor. Morgan admitted having given tablets to others on four occasions; three of them to the same person. This person was a drug addict whose methadone had run out and who was experiencing withdrawal problems. In explanation King told the police he did not think about the consequences. At the time he was simply trying to help a sick friend, said Sergeant Cole. Counsel (Mr N. C. Chapman) said the.,drugi had been prescribed for- his client for a kidney complaint.

There had been no intention to undermine the treatment of his friend. He just felt that being a pain killer the tablets might help his friend, said Mr Chapman. An earlier charge, laid indictably, alleging Morgan had possessed pethidine for supply, was withdrawn by the police. Morgan pleaded guilty to the alternative charge, of straight possession.