Manager found guilty of receiving charges

Press, 7 March 1984, Page 16

Manager found guilty of receiving charges

A jury deliberated for nearly two hours yesterday in the District Court before finding Constantine Kazakos guilty of receiving video equipment and chainsaws worth about $4170 in November last year. Kazakos, aged 34, a shop manager, had denied the two charges and was represented by Mr P. J. Egden. Mr N. W. Williamson prosecuted for the Crown.

Judge Fraser remanded Kazakos at large to March 21 for a probation report and sentence.

During the trial evidence was given that the police searched Kazakos’ Geraldine Street flat on November 17. In the hot water cylinder cupboard they found a video cassette recorder, tuner timer, colour camera, and cassettes worth about $3OOO that had been stolen from the Kaiapoi High School on November

Three chainsaws worth $ll7l found in the garage were identical to those taken from Martins Mowers and Cycles, Ltd, on October 31.

Detective D. B. Clearwater said that he visited Kazukos at his fish shop. He said Kazakos knew the goods were at his flat, but asserted that they were not his. A man known as “Tuck” had brought the goods to him two nights earlier as a part payment for a Bedford truck Kazakos had sold him. Kazakos told Detective Clearwater he assumed the goods were stolen as “Tuck” did not have any money. Kazakos gave evidence that he told “Tuck” he was not interested in the goods, but “Tuck” had left them for him to have a good look at. Kazakos said he had bought his own video cassette recorder. He did not

want these goods, and refused to find a buyer for them.

He finally contacted “Tuck” at about 11 pan. on November 16. “Tuck” said he was unable to pick the goods up then, but would collect them in the morning. Kazakos said he waited for him until 8.15 a.m. Mr Williamson said that Kazakos had the goods in his possession and under his control. He knew they were stolen. He submitted that Kazakos was helping someone conceal and dispose of the goods and assertions that Kazakos planned to give them back were irrelevant.

However, Mr Egden submitted that the Crown also had to show Kazakos had the guilty intention to appropriate the goods for himself or another person. Kazakos had no such intention, he said.