Men deny robbery charges

Press, 4 December 1985, Page 4

Men deny robbery charges

Two young men armed with a rifle burst into a Spreydon house in the early hours of July 20, and demanded 1 drugs and money, Mr Justice Cook and a jury were told in the High Court yesterday. John Terence Mason, aged 22, a farm labourer, and Michael Edward Norman, aged 23, a gardener, have pleaded not guilty to charges of robbing Cameron Gordon Macflquham of $220 while armed with a rifle, unlawfully detaining him and Sandra Lee Norman, kidnapping Brian Gregory

Norman and injuring him. The trial is expected to finish today. Mr D. J. L. Saunders appears for the Crown, Mr K. J. Grave for Mason and Miss E. H. B. Thompson for Norman. Opening his case, Mr Saunders said that in the early hours of July 20 Mason and Norman went to a house in Coronation Street, Spreydon, which was occupied by Norman’s sister, Sandra Lee Norman, Brian Gregory O’Donnell and Cameron Gordon Macllquham. It was not a social visit. They had a rifle and

used it to subdue any resistance by the occupants. Mr O’Donnell was assaulted by both men who demanded cannabis and said that if they did not get it there would be trouble. When told that there was none in the house Mason took Macflquham into the kitchen, threatened him with a knife and demanded money. He was given $220 from the jar containing the rent money. The demands for cannabis were continued and a search was made of the house but none was found.

After O’Donnell said that he could get the drug in Lyttelton Mason stayed at the house with the rifle to guard Sandra Norman and Macflquham, while Norman and O’Donnell went to the port There O’Donnell managed to telephone the police and when they were returning to Coronation Street the vehicle was stopped by a \ police patrol. In the meantime Mason made a further search of the house and found a further $6O. He became anxious about the return of Norman

and O’Donnell and eventually a police party moved on to the property and arrested Mason. He had little to say when questioned by the police apart from the claim that it was not he “who had done all those things. It was the other was more forthcoming and said that he had gone to Coronation Street because O’Donnell had ripped him off on a dope deal and a leather jacket Mason has also denied a charge of robbing Sandra Norman of $6O.