$4OO fine for language offence on telephone

Press, 30 December 1982, Page 5

$4OO fine for language offence on telephone

A man earlier convicted of using offensive language on a telephone was fined $4OO when he appeared for sentence before Judge Pain in the District Court yesterday.

The Judge told the defendant, aged 32, that he had a fanciful and prurient imagination and that he had been acting out his own sexual fantasy.

It was not the first time, he said, that the defendant had been involved in sexu-ally-oriented behaviour

which had led him to appear in court.

It was accepted that the offence caused no real or lasting harm to the complainant. the Judge said.

The offences took place in early October. Counsel (Mr C. A. McVeigh) submitted that the complainant was the author of her own misfortune in that she had in her hand (the telephone) the remedy to terminate the offending conversation. Instead she actively gave the impression of being interested in what the defendant had to say. His client, who appeared somewhat immature, was hard working, diligent and public spirited, said Mr McVeigh. It was a shame that when convicted earlier this year on two similar charges the depth of his personal problem had not been more apparent so that counselling could have been made available.

In seeking final suppression of the defendant’s name Mr McVeigh submitted that the initial media publicity given to the alleged prostitu-

tion charges had been out of all proportion to the realitv of the situation. ARSON CHARGES

An unemployed father of seven charged with wilfullysetting fire to his own dwelling in Huxley Street on Christmas Day was remanded without plea to January 19. He is Raymond Clive Frew, aged 37. who was allowed bail of $lOOO.

Joanne Marie Stephens, aged 19, a solo parent, who faces the same charge, was also remanded without plea to January 19 on bail of $lOOO. Both defendants were represented by the duty solicitor, Mr J. J. Brandts-Giesen. THEFT A greenstone polisher aged 22, who admitted stealing a radio, television, and cassette player, valued at $lOOO, was convicted and remanded on bail to January 19 for a probation report and sentence.

He is Michael Gavin Rennie (Mr M. J. Glue) who stole the player, the property of Graeme Bell, on Christmas Eve.

Sergeant J. E. Dwyer, said that at 1.30 p.m. that day Rennie had uplifted the player from the staff room of a city shop. He had put it in a rubbish bag and had walked out through a side door and had carried it across town before being apprehended near his home for behaving in a suspicious manner.

The only explanation offered for the offence was that the player had been left unattended and Rennie U thought he could get away with it, said Sergeant tJ Dwver.

Mr Glue said it had been an “opportunist" theft.