Burglary toll cited in theft case

Press, 24 September 1983, Page 5

Burglary toll cited in theft case

Four thousand, five hundred and fifty-nine burglaries, involving property worth $3.25 million have been committed in Christchurch in the first six months of 1983, said Sergeant M. A. South in the District Court yesterday. He gave these figures when seeking a deterrent sentence for an unemployed man, aged 24, who was responsible for stealing $15,865 worth of property. Kevin Patrick Leahy (Mr M. J. Glue), had admitted five charges of burglary, two of theft, one of possessing instruments capable of being used to commit burglary, and a charge of breaking out of a building. The offences took place in the last six months.

Leahy was conficted by Judge Pain and remanded in custody to September 30 for a probation report and sentence.

The Judge said that what had “astounded” him was that when the defendant appeared before him earlier this month bail had not been opposed by the police. Leahy, said Sergeant South, in opposing bail, sought by Mr Glue, was an active offender who burgled to order and knew how to dispose of what he had stolen.

Of the $15,865 worth of property taken by Leahy almost $5OOO had not been recovered.

Property taken by Leahy included furniture, sheepskin products, colour television, radio cassette recorder, clothing, jewellery, bacon, ham and smallgoods, said the sergeant. Yvonne May Revell, aged 37, a housewife, also represented by Mr Glue, was jointly charged with Leahy in the theft of $7900 worth of furniture stored in a Hornby garage. She pleaded guilty and was remanded on bail to October 17 for a probation report and sentence. SUPPRESSION

’ Interim suppression of name was granted to a Christchurch car dealer facing a charge of fraud involving $29,000. The Judge granted suppression after the defendant’s counsel (Mr P. F. Whiteside), confirmed with a senior police officer during the morning that further inquiries were to be made to see whether or not the charge would proceed.

The dealer is charged that with intent to defraud he falsely represented that a Range Rover had travelled 69,000 km in order to obtain two cars, to a total value of $21,000, and $BOOO in cash, from another car dealer, on about July 27. Mr Whiteside, in seeking suppression, said that after being charged his client had approached the head of the C. 1.8.

The defendant was adamant that he correctly represented the mileage on the Range Rover, which he had acquired only two days before he sold it to the complainant firm. As a result of the discussion between his client and the police officer the police decided to make further inquiries, said Mr Whiteside, and it was likely that the police would not proceed with the charge.

After admitting that this information came from the instructions given to him by his client, the Judge stood the matter down so that counsel could verify this with the officer concerned. The defendant was remanded on bail, without plea, to October 7. THEFT CHARGE

The alleged theft from his employer of 200 25-kilogram bags of a plastic material valued at $B5OO, resulted in a man, aged 28, being remanded on bail to September 30.

The defendant, who did not plead to the charge of theft as a servant, was granted interim suppression of his name to enable the police to continue their inquiries. INTIMIDATION OFFENCE

A man convicted of assaulting another man and threatening to blow up his car and burn his house down, was fined $lOO. Brian Robert Ballintine, aged 30, a bricklayer (Mr R. J. McMurtrie), was told that $25 of the fine would be paid to the complainant. He had admitted assaulting John Gordon McLachlan, and that with intent to intimidate Mr McLachlan he had threatened to damage his house in Bowhill Road.

Sergeant South said Ballintine had gone to the complainant’s address on September 15. Saying he had “something to sort out,” he had then punched the complainant twice, and had made the threats about

what he intended to do to his house and car.

The police had been called and Ballintine had run off. When spoken to next day the defendant said he had only “poked” the complainant in the stomach with his finger. He refused to say anything else, said Sergeant South.

It was not a serious assault, said Mr McMurtrie. The threat against the complainant’s property was “fairly wild” and made in the heat of the moment, he said.

There was a history to the offending in that several months ago, when feeling depressed by the death of his mother and the loss of a job, Ballintine had admitted himself to Sunnyside Hospital for treatment for several days. The defendant had objected to not being allowed to leave the hospital when he wanted to. The complainant was a nurse at the hospital. CHARGE DENIED A charge of attempting to use a Browning semi-auto-matic pistol to help Alister John Barr get out of Invercargill Prison was denied by an advertising agent. William Douglas Oldham, aged 36 (Mr M. J. Glue), was remanded to November 21 for a defended hearing. Bail was renewed for Oldham, who is charged with committing the offence on August 20. Barr is one of two men charged with the $106,000 robbery of the Bank of New Zealand at Lumsden in March. ESCAPER A man who escaped from Paparua Prison on September 8 told the police he did so because he had been assaulted by other inmates and feared further assaults, said Sergeant L. W. F. Corbett. Stuart James Waddell, aged 24 (Mr W. Rosenberg), was convicted and remanded in custody to October 7 for a probation report and sentence.

Sergeant Corbett said Waddell escaped from a work party at 4 p.m. on September 8. He gave himself up to the police at 10 p.m. that day. Prior to escaping Waddell had made a complaint about the assaults to the prison authorities, he said.