5 years jail for thieves

Press, 25 November 1982, Page 4

5 years jail for thieves

PA Auckland Two men who robbed and beat an elderly couple in their Auckland wine shop in June have been jailed by the High Court at Auckland for five years. Mr Justice Chilwell told Benjamin Harold Popata, aged 19, a rubbish collector, and David Andrew Rakatau, aged 19, a labourer, that they were lucky that one of their victims, Gladys Wakefield Bancroft, had not died. Popata and Rakatau were jailed after earlier pleading guilty to four charges of robbing Mrs Bancroft, ’aged 63, of $lO, and causing grievous bodily harm, with intent, to Mrs Bancroft, her husband, Albert Roy Bancroft, aged 69, and another man, Robert Walsh, aged 60. His Honour said that on June 12 about 9 p.m., Mr and Mrs Bancroft were in their Mayfair Wines shop in Onehunga. Their friend, Mr

Walsh, had called in to see them. The defendants went into the shop where they had earlier bought wine and, without warning, attacked and “completely flattened” the three persons. The accused took what money they could find and left. “There can be no doubt that more than mere fists were used in that attack,” said his Honour. He said Mr Walsh suffered a severe head injury, a depressed skull fracture and rupture of the brain coverage. His skull had since healed but he remained on anti-epileptic medication. Mr Bancroft had suffered a skull fracture, and he now suffered problems, including a stutter, headaches, poor memory, and anxiety. His Honour said the accused were fortunate that through medical skill Mrs Bancroft was still alive. She spent 12 weeks in hospital.

Her extremely critical brain injury, from being struck on the head, required emergency surgery and she was still a very ill woman.

“So far as Mr and Mrs Bancroft are concerned, you can claim to really have ruined the rest of their days on Earth,” his Honour said. Crown counsel, Mr Peter Kaye, said the senseless attack resulted in about $5l in loose cash being taken and about $lO from Mrs Bancroft’s handbag.

“Once again this Court is faced with a crime involving violence of a significant degree with the apparent motive of robbery. It was another example of the type of offence that is becoming all too prevalent within the Auckland region,” he submitted.

The two accused were sentenced to a total of five years on each charge, the terms to be concurrent.