The courts Jail for chemist shop burglaries

Press, 4 May 1984, Page 7

The courts Jail for chemist shop burglaries

Penalties for such offending must be severe, Judge Bisphan told a man yesterday when he sent him to prison for 18 months for burgling four chemist shops. Appearing for sentence in the District Court was John Peter Fearon, aged 24, unemployed (Mr E. Bedo). Fearon had earlier admitted burgling chemist shops in Waimate, Timaru and two in Christchurch — one in Grampian Street and the other in Wairakei Road. The Judge said that the defendant had an “appalling” list of previous offending. “This is extremely serious offending with the two Christchurch burglaries taking place while you were on bail. “The type of sentence I impose will give the public, and chemist shop proprietors in particular, respite from your criminal activities,” he said. Fearon was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for 12 months after being convicted on two charges of driving while disqualified. Mr Bedo said that his client, a drug addict, had a lamentably long list of offending much of which had been committed in his attempts to acquire money to support his drug habit. All four pharmacy burglaries, he said, were committed, first and foremost, to obtain drugs. OFFENSIVE BEHAVIOUR A fine of $lOO was imposed on a man who urinated on the carpet and wall of a lift in the Government Life Building on April 30. Aaron David Buckeridge, aged 19, unemployed, had admitted behaving in an offensive manner. Sergeant G. C. Jones said that the defendant’s actions were observed by members of the public. Buckeridge was intoxicated but not drunk. FIREARM DISCHARGED After loading two cartridges into a 12-gauge shotgun Jonathon Geoffrey Hazlett leaned out of the window of a car being driven by a friend in Tuam Street and discharged both barrels into the air, said Sergeant Jones. Hazlett, aged 21, a supervisor (Mr J. J. BrandtsGiesen), who admitted discharging the firearm so as to endanger, annoy or frighten the public, was convicted and fined $lOO. At 5.50 p.m. on April 28 Hazlett was being driven along Tuam Street by a friend when he discharged the shotgun. Traffic was medium and the area was residential, said the sergeant. Hazlett told police he had been duck shooting earlier and admitted having consumed liquor. It was a spur of the moment action, he had said. Mr Brandts-Giesen said that his client was not under the influence of alcohol. The act, done on the spur of the moment, was deliberate in that the shotgun had been pointed to the sky. While accepting the discharge could have annoyed or frightened somebody there was no danger to anyone. ' Hazlett, he said, was a first offender, and he urged that the matter be dealt with by a fine only. EXTRA MONTH An extra month was added to the term of imirisonment being served by Sieran Michael Arlow when he appeared for sentence on a charge of receiving 25 pairs of jeans, valued at 3625. Arlow, who had admitted the offence, was last month sent to prison for six months on other offences. 12 MONTHS JAIL Kevin James Lane, aged 22, was sent to prison for 12 months when he appeared for sentence on charges of stealing a $2OOO car and a $4200 caravan, coinciding with his ninth and tenth convictions for driving while disqualified. The Judge said that Lane (Mr A. N. D. Garrett) had a bad criminal record for a person of his age. The offences were very serious. “You have been before the courts time and time again and nothing seems to work,” he said. When apprehended Lane had told the police that he had intended delivering the repainted vehicles to another person whom he refused to identify.

He was sentenced to six months imprisonment on the two theft charges and three months on each of the driving while disqualified offences. The terms were to be cumulative. Lane was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for two years. PRISON TERM A man who obtained assorted property, worth more than $3600, by charging it to a non-existent account, was sent to prison foffir nine months. *

Peter Angus Eathorne, aged 22, unemployed (Mr E. Bedo), had earlier admitted obtaining the property from a city store by false pretence between December, last year, and February. Eathorne had applied to open a credit account with the store and had then obtained goods from its other branches.

Some of the property had been given away as Christmas presents but most had been sold to raise money to support a gambling habit. The Judge said that the offending was serious and was committed soon after he had completed an earlier sentence of community service.

Mr Bedo said that to some extent the offending would not have occurred had the staff of the complainant firm carried out a stricter credit check. He said that Eathorne now had a job and that given time he could pay compensation to the firm. Mr Bedo asked for a sentence short of imprisonment.

The Judge said that the defendant should have known what he was doing in seeking credit when he was made bankrupt last year with debts of $50,000.

In such circumstances there was little, if any, chance of compensation being made, the Judge said. 20 CHARGES Bail was opposed for a man facing nine charges of receiving, eight of burglary, two of theft, and one of unlawfully taking a vehicle, involving property to a total value of $27,791. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell said property to this value was taken over a period of three weeks and that the offences indicated a degree of professionalism. Robert Geoffrey Matthews, aged 24, unemployed, was remanded in custody to May 8 without plea.

Property said to have been taken by Matthews included tyres, jewellery, electric appliances, camera equipment, cassettes, and clothing.

Matthews is charged with having committed all 20 offences between April 14 and 22.

Bail was sought by a duty solicitor, Mr Bedo, who said Matthews could provide two sureties.

Sergeant Caldwell, in opposing bail, said property worth $15,657 had been recovered at the house of the defendant.

DEFERRED SENTENCE A deferred sentence of 12 months coupled with the payment of $2OO towards the cost of the prosecution was the sentence imposed on a man, aged 23, earlier convicted on a charge of conspiring with another person to defraud an insurance company. While the offence was serious the defendant’s part was only very minor and for the sake of his business and the fact that he was a first offender the Judge said he would grant final suppression of his name. The Judge said it was staggering to see a person of the defendant’s abilities and standing getting involved in such an offence. “It seems you stuck by your friend misguidedly,” he said.

The defendant had earlier pleaded guilty to a charge that he conspired with two other persons to arrange for a person to take and destroy an $18,500 power boat, and a $9500 Landcruiser belonging to one of those men so that an insurance claim could be lodged. Counsel (Mr P. D. Woolley) said that the instigator of the offence was 46 years old and an apparently successful businessman who had “quite dazzled” his client. The defendant felt he had a social rather than a financial debt to this man, he said.

On reflection, Mr Woolley said, his client now believed he had been coldly manipulated by the instigator and that at no stage did he believe this person would carry out the proposed plan. At the time he did not realise that his friend was in serious financial difficulties and that he had an economic motive for the offences, said Mr Woolley.

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