Fumes sniffing led to death
PA Wellington A young person died after a group of youths sniffed fumes from a stolen fire extinguisher, the District Court at Upper Hutt heard yesterday. Alistair Michael Porritt, aged 18, pleaded guilty to stealing a fire extinguisher valued at $B5, the property of New Zealand Railways. Sergeant John Elworthy said that at 9.30 p.m. on August 11, Porritt and a juvenile talked about getting a fire extinguisher so they could inhale the fumes for a hallucinogenic effect. They decided to take an extinguisher from an Upper Hutt train. Porritt drove the juvenile to the Upper Hutt railway station where they
removed an extinguisher from a carriage wall. They then went to a nearby park with two other people and inhaled the fumes. One of the group collapsed and died soon after, Sergeant Elworthy said. Police inquiries were continuing into the incident. Sergeant Elworthy said that the juvenile associates would appear in the Children’s Court at Upper Hutt. Judge Beatson said he would call for a probation report in view of Porritt’s age and the gravity of what had happened. Porritt was convicted and remanded to September 18 for the report, with bail to continue.
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Press, 28 August 1984, Page 2
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200Fumes sniffing led to death Press, 28 August 1984, Page 2
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