Three charged with assaulting policemen

Press, 18 May 1984, Page 7

Three charged with assaulting policemen

Bail was strongly opposed in the District Court for two men charged with assaulting two police officers who were making inquiries about a stolen car yesterday. Anthony Reihana Hoani, aged 19, unemployed, is charged with assaulting a policeman with intent to injure him. Laurence Minhinnick, aged 25, also unemployed, is charged with assaulting another officer twice.

They were represented by a duty solicitor, Mr E. Bedo. In opposing bail, Sergeant G. C. Jones said that the police officers were seriously assaulted, and that a dog chain was used. If bail was granted, he said, the police sought two Court-approved sureties and twice daily reporting, to which Mr Bedo said that the defendants were not being charged with murder. Judge Hattaway said that while the alleged offences were serious, he was prepared to grant bail. Hoani was remanded until today on bail of $l5OO. Minhinnick was also remanded on $l5OO bail but to May 21, and he was ordered to report daily to the police. Janice Marie Barr, aged 28, unemployed (Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon), denied a charge of assaulting one of the officers in the execution of his duty. She was remanded at large to July 26 for a defended hearing.

PERIODIC DETENTION Periodic detention for five months was the sentence given to one of four men who stole property valued at more than $l4OO from a car belonging to a Christchurch solicitor, Miss Isabelle Margaret Shearman, on April 1. The Judge told Nigel Pinn, aged 21 (Mr E. Bedo), that were it not for the fact that he now had a job, “you could well be facing imprisonment.” According to the police summary, the complainant’s parked car was broken into and property, including a gold watch valued at $llOO, •was removed. Some of the

stolen property was thrown in the Avon River. Pinn was one of three men who ran off when Miss Shearman returned to her car. The fourth she held until the police arrived. TEACHER CHARGED Interim suppression of name was granted to a teacher who was charged with indecently assaulting a boy, aged 16. The defendant, aged 30 (Mr P. D. Woolley), was remanded, without plea, to May 31. He is charged with committing the offence on March 24. SEX OFFENCE A married man, aged 39, who admitted having sexual intercourse with a girl, aged 15 years 6 months, told the police that she was a consenting party and had encouraged him, said Sergeant G. G. Cleland. Sione Lei, a machine operator, committed the offence about May 12. He was convicted and remanded on bail of $2OOO to May 31 for a probation report and sentence.

Sergeant Cleland said Lei and the complainant’s father knew each other, and that he had also met the girl before the offence. About 4 p.m. on May 12, Lei met the girl in a New Brighton hotel. This meeting was coincidental. The pair visited several city hotels. While driving back to

New Brighton about 8 p.m., Lei stopped the car and had sex with the girl, said Sergeant Cleland. He then drove the girl to New Brighton, where he left her with her friends. Sergeant Cleland said that although the girl was said to have told Lei that she was 16, he would have been aware of her age. DRUG OFFENCE Fines totalling $6OO were imposed on a man convicted of selling a restricted drug, and possessing cannabis. Dean Allan Hancock, aged 22, a plastics worker (Mr K. N. Hampton), admitted the offences, which occurred on March 16. Sergeant Cleland said a large quantity of white powder made up in bags and packets, a quantity of cannabis and a set of scales were found when the police executed a search warrant at Hancock’s address. Hancock told the police that he had obtained the white powder from an associate and that he was packaging it for sale. The white powder was a restricted drug, an amphetamine, and weighed 70 grams. The cannabis material, for which Hancock paid $lOO, weighed 58.83 grams, said Sergeant Cleland. Hancock was fined $4OO on the restricted drug sale charge and $2OO on the cannabis offence.