Couple stole petrol from police yard

Press, 28 May 1983, Page 4

Couple stole petrol from police yard

An unemployed man and a solo mother, both from Moana, Westland, who admitted stealing 30 litres of petrol, valued at $21.30, the property of the New Zealand Police Department, were each convicted and fined. $2OO in the District Court yesterday. Timothy Robert Donovan, aged 21, and Anne Izar Ginty, aged 24, admitted the theft when they appeared before Judge Jamieson. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell, said that at 12.50 p.m. yesterday the defendants were seen pouring petrol from the pump in the police yard into their car.

They were stopped by police as they drove out of the yard into Hereford Street.

Donovan offered to pay for the petrol. He told police they took the petrol because the tank was empty and they did not think they could get it to a service station.

Mr E. Bedo, for the pair, said it was a “cheeky” offence. The couple had come to Christchurch from Greymouth.

They had a rental vehicle which was due to be returned to the rental firm by 11.30 a.m. in order to avoid any penalty payment. After appearing in court during the morning the couple had gone back to the Central Police Station to collect their belongings and to return the car which had been parked in the police yard. Donovan appeared in the dock earlier in the day charged with possessing cannabis leaf, and with possessing the drug for sale or supply, on May 27. He did not plead and was remanded on bail of $lOOO to June 3.

Ginty, who also appeared yesterday morning, . was fined $2OO on a charge of possessing cannabis. In imposing the fine for the petrol theft, the Judge said he believed it had occurred “out of a matter of spite,” because of the events of the morning. They found the petrol tank empty, and not knowing where the rental firm’s premises were located in

Christchurch, they resorted to stealing the petrol, said Mr Bedo. CRUELTY CHARGE

A man charged with cruelly ill-treating a dog by stabbing it and then throwing it on the fire was remanded without plea to June 3 by Judge Jamieson in the District Court yesterday. Noel Edwin Minogue, aged 34, unemployed, is charged with committing the offence on May 26. He was remanded at large. ASSAULT CHARGE A man charged that with intent to injure, he assaulted Tautari James Thompson, was remanded on bail to July 11 for a defended hearing.

Mark Puarata Phillips aged 21, unemployed (Mr M. J. Glue), is charged with committing the offence on April 16. NEWSPRINT Because of his new-found Christian faith a man aged 27, had voluntarily gone to the police and admitted wil-fully-setting fire to a railway waggon, containing newsprint, six years ago. Paul Stuart Ainsworth, an electrician (Mr P. R. Van Rij), was discharged without conviction but ordered to pay $5O towards the cost of the prosecution.

Detective Sergeant M. A. Fink said the offence occurred at 11 p.m. on April 27, 1976. The waggon containing the newsprint, the property of New Zealand Railways, was covered by tarpaulin at the time.

Last month the defendant called at the Central Police Station and said he was responsible for setting the newsprint alight.

He said he had been drinking earlier and had taken a short cut home along the railway line.

He gave no other explanation as to why he lit the fire.

Mr Van Rij, who sought a discharge without conviction, said the police would have had no knowledge of the offence but for the honesty of his client. RECEIVING CHARGE

No plea was entered by a man charged with receiving

four speakers and a Gonophone amplifier, to a total value of $2OOO. Gordon Ritchie, aged 30, unemployed, was remanded on bail of $lOOO to June 3. The offence is said to have been committed on May 13. FRAUD CHARGES

Two men, each facing five charges of fraud involving property, to a total value of $1647, were remanded on bail to June 3.

Mark Anthony Eathorne, aged 26, and Mark David Shaw, aged 22, both unemployed did not plead. Shaw faces an additional charge of making a false statement to the police.

The offences involved the obtaining of rings, a car stereo, and a car radio cassette. The offences were allegedly committed on February 11. $2OO COSTS

A man earlier convicted of burgling a house in Oamaru from which property valued at $2OOO was taken, was put on probation for 12 months, but ordered to pay $2OO towards the cost of the prosecution.

Christopher James Moffitt, aged 21, a contract plasterer, had’admitted the offence, which took place in December 2, last year. He told the police he had been “more or less” forced into committing the offence by a co-offender.

The co-offender was convicted and fined $250 in the Dunedin District Court. He was also ordered to pay compensation of $2OOO. None of the stolen property had been recovered.