Youth jailed for robbery

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 4

Youth jailed for robbery

A youth "who just went along with younger boys to get some guns" was jailed for two years by Mr Justice Cook in the High Court yesterday on charges of aggravated robbery, burglary and unlawfully taking a car. Peter Neil Coulson, aged 17. a part-time sign writer, had pleaded guilty to the charges. The police statement said that in the early hours of October 12 Coulson and others burgled the shop of McKillops Sports Supplies. Ltd. in New Brighton Road. Coulson broke the glass panes in the front door by kicking them in to gain entry. Seven .177 calibre air rifles, five packets of pellets and about 500 rounds of .22 ammunition were stolen. An attempt was made to take higher calibre firearms but it was not successful. When interviewed next day Coulson admitted his part in the burglary and said that he had just gone along with younger boys to get some guns. The stolen goods were valued at $627; Later in the same day as the burglary was committed . Coulson and three boys went to the Woolston , Working Men’s Club car-park where

they took the 1968 Hillman Hunter car, valued at $3OOO, belonging to Noel Fisken. Coulson started the car with a key he had. One of his associates drove . the car to the Saxon Dairy in Cashel Street where Coulson and two of the boys, all wearing stocking masks over their heads and carrying rifles, entered the shop. The proprietor, Anthony Christopher Smith, went into the shop from the rear when the door buzzer sounded. Seeing the armed, masked youths Mr Smith retreated into a rear room, closed the door and telephoned for

assistance. One of the intruders picked up the cash register containing $9OO and carried it to where the fourth youth was waiting in the stolen car. During the' incident two shots were fired, one in the direction of Mr Smith as he retreated from the shop and it smashed a glass pane in the door and the other just as the'offenders were about to leave. The second shot was from a .22 rifle. On October 13 the police executed a search warrant on the home of one of Coulson’s associates and recovered firearms, ammunition, masks and the stolen cash

register. When Coulson was ■ interviewed by the police later the same day. he had $l5O which he admitted came from the robbery of the dairy. Coulson's three associates were also arrested and appeared in the Children and Young Persons Court. It was admitted by Coulson that he was at the home of one of his associates when it was decided to hold up a store to obtain money. He fired the shot from the slug rifle but asserted that it was an accident. The money from the cash register was shared amongst them. When the car belonging to Mr Fisken was recovered the day after the robbery it was damaged to the value of $4OO and property valued at $475 was missing from the vehicle. Damage to the cash register and the shop amounted to $l5O, the policee statement said. Mr P. R. Kellar, for Coulson, said that all the offences were serious. The probation report said that although Coulson was the oldest of the four offenders he was. immature and less sophisticated. The air rifle carried by Coulson was not capable of inflicting serious injury. No harm was done to the

shopkeeper and Coulson made a full statement when seen by the police and pleaded guilty. He said that he had not wanted to take part in the robbery but had just gone along with the others and he regretted his decision. The offence had probably occurred because of his association with persons from the periodic detention work centre and because his parents had been too indulgent with him. Since leaving school he had had a steady job and the support of his' parents, Mr Kellar said. His Honour said that all

three offences had been committed on the one day. Two shots were fired during the robbery but, fortunately, the proprietor was not Coulson had a number of previous convictions; Already this year he had been convicted twice for burglary and once for theft. “There seems to have been a marked deterioration in your behaviour in recent months, culminating in the present offences,” his Honour said. “Armed robbery is not. to be taken lightly. It is a serious crime and far too prevalant.”