Man almost trapped into offending — counsel

Press, 10 October 1984, Page 4

Man almost trapped into offending — counsel

A man who committed seven burglaries in which property worth $8350 was taken was sentenced to corrective training. Appearing for sentence before Judge Paterson in the District Court yesterday was Danny Daniel Bennington. Bennington, aged 18, unemployed (Mr J. Stringer) committed the burglaries between August 28 and September 13. Mr Stringer said the offences were committed in the company of an escaped prisoner, Kevin James Lane, who his client did not know beforehand. Bennington, he said, was almost “trapped” into the initial offending. The defendant, according to his instructions, took no active part other than to act as a lookout. Most of the stolen property had been recovered. He accordingly urged something short of a fully

custodial sentence. The Judge said he was unable to accept that Bennington was other than an equally joint offender. The extent of the offending suggested to him that the defendant needed something stronger than a com-munity-based sentence. THEFT CHARGE A storeman charged with stealing four rolls of cottom fabric, worth $lOOO, the property of his employer, Lane Walker Rudkin, Ltd, was remanded at large to October 16. Michael Edward Hall, aged 34, is charged with committing the offence betwen February 1 and July 18. He did not plead. BOMB CHARGE A charge of giving a fititious message over the telephone that there was a bomb at the M.E.D. substation in Packe Street, would be “strongly” denied. This was indicated by Mr P. J. Rutledge, counsel for a man, aged 38, charged with

committing the offence on October 4. The defendant was remanded at large to October 23. Seeking interim suppression of his client’s name, which was granted, Mr Rutledge said the charge related to his client’s employment. DRIVING OFFENCE A fine of $250 was imposed on a man convicted of driving in a dangerous manner in Carlyle Street on July 29. Warren Andrew Hudson, aged 18, a lineman, who admitted the offence, was also disqualified from holding or obtaining a driver’s licence for six months. Sergeant J. E. Dwyer, said the defendant was seen to drive beside another car along Carlyle Street at 1.30 a.m. When question by the police Hudson explained that he had raced to see who had the fastest Cortina, said Sergeant Dwyer.