Boutique surprise

Press, 3 September 1982, Page 5

Boutique surprise

An assistant in a Christchurch boutique suffered "nausea and shock” after seeing a naked man wearing only a garter belt and stockings, in a cubicle in the shop, said Sergeant M. P. Caldwell in the District Court yesterday. The man. aged 20, who was granted interim suppression of his name, was convicted by Judge Willis and remanded on bail to September 16 for a probation report and sentence. The defendant, who was represented by Mr Mr K. J. Osborn, admitted the offence which took place on July 13. Sergeant Caldwell said that the defendant had gone into the shop and asked the assistant if he could see some women’s underclothing as he was going to a “vice versa" party. When spoken to by the police the defendant admitted that he had a “problem." SEX OFFENCE “There must be hundreds of young people who have committed this offence and not been found out. You were just unfortunate," said the

Judge. Mark James Dench, aged 18, a silverer (Mr C. M. Ruane) was fined $lOO when he appeared for sentence on a charge of unlawfully having sexual intercourse with a girl, aged 15. Dench had admitted the offence.

The Judge also said that the defendant’s probation report was the best reference he had seen. “I have no doubt about your character,” he said. Mr Ruane said that the girl had been willing if not provocative and that his client had simply succumbed to the weakness of the flesh.

Earlier the Judge had been told that the defendant had sex with the girl on six separate occasions between June 1 and July 1. Dench had been aware of the girl’s age at the time. JEWELLERY

A man who acted as a lookout while an associate took $6875 worth of jewellery from a house which he broke into was sentenced to periodic detention for seven months.

Richard Wiki, aged 22. unemployed (Mr E. Bedo) admitted burgling a house in Victoria Park Road on July 14. ‘ Sergeant C. J. Shannahan said that the burglary took place between 2.15 p.m. and 4.30 p.m. and was discovered when the complainant arrived home from work. Jewellery, valued at $6875, and electrical goods, valued at $l6OO, were stolen. Sergeant Shannahan said that on September 2 Wiki was interviewed by the police. The defendant said that he drove to the address with an associate and acted as a lookout outside while the associate broke in and took the property. None of the property had been recovered and inquiries into the whereabouts of the associate were continuing. Wiki had told the police that the property had been sold and the money spent on liquor in a city hotel. If compensation was ordered the defendant’s share would be half the value of the property, said Sergeant Shannahan.