Bail declined in armed bank robbery charge

Press, 26 December 1985, Page 3

Bail declined in armed bank robbery charge

A Kaiapoi man was charged in the District Court on Tuesday with a robbery of an inner city bank of $lO,OOO while carrying a knife. Michael Moata Marino, aged 27, unemployed, was charged that, while armed with a knife, he robbed Laura Jean Gough, an employee of the Hereford Street branch of Trusteebank Canterbury, of $lO,OOO on Monday. Judge McAloon remanded him in custody to appear again on December 30. Marino’s counsel, Mr P. H. B. Hall, sought a remand without plea until January 14 and said he had been instructed to apply for bail.

The granting of bail was opposed by the prosecutor, Sergeant G. C. Jones. After hearing the bail application in chambers the Judge declined bail, and remanded Marino in custody to an earlier date. The Judge gave grounds for declining the request for bail as including the public interest, the nature of the charge, and the prosecutor’s statement that the police had a strong case against Marino. ESCAPE ATTEMPT Two meh appeared in the

District Court on charges of assaulting police officers and attempting to escape from police custody while being transferred from the District Court holding cell to a police van on Monday afternoon. Both defendants were remanded by Judge McAloon in custody, without plea, to appear again on December 30.

Keremihana Hirani George, aged 31, unemployed, faced charges of assaulting Constable R. J. Wouldes with intent to injure him, assaulting Sergeant W. P. Creasey, and attempting to escape from the custody of the police. Richard Bruce Barr, aged 18, a labourer, appeared on charges of assaulting Constable Wouldes in the execution of his duty, and attempting to escape from police custody. The Judge noted that George had refused to see the duty solicitor or apply for legal aid.

A duty solicitor (Mr A. M. Mclntosh) appeared for Barr. Both men were handcuffed and 11 policemen in uniform were in the area of the dock. ESCAPING CHARGE A prisoner who was re-

captured by the police in Sydenham on Monday evening after being at large .since December 6 appeared on charges of armed robbery, and escaping from Addington prison. The defendant, Mark Huia Bain, aged 25, a sickness beneficiary, was remanded in custody to January 7 on the charge of escaping from custody, and to February 25 on a charge of armed robbery of a Bishopdale supermarket on November 28.

Bain had been in custody in Addington Prison on the robbery charge when he escaped. THEFT CHARGE

The theft of $12’283 while employed by L. D. Nathan and Company, Ltd., was alleged against a former cashier, Sandra Mary Chinnery, aged 24, unemployed. On the application of counsel, (Mr P. B. McMenamin), she was remanded on bail, without plea, to January 28. The money was allegedly stolen between November 2 last year and November 7 this year. VIDEO THEFT A man, forced to stop behind a double-parked truck while driving on a city street on December 5, noticed that there were

video recorders on the truck. He then got out of his car and took one, Sergeant Jones said.

Brent Wayne Arthur Gillam, aged 27, unemployed, admitted a charge of theft of the video recorder, valued at $1395, from Noel Leeming, Ltd. He was convicted and remanded to January 21 for sentence.

(Before Judge Frampton) SUSPENDED SENTENCE A man who used a “booster box” to commit shoplifting offences was yesterday given a suspended sentence.

John McKay Hadcroft, aged 40, an electrical engineer, was appearing for sentence on three shoplifting offences, committed on November 15 and 22. He had admitted the charges earlier this month. He had been apprehended after selecting several items of clothing in a Gloucester Street department store, and returning only one gar- - ment after leaving the fitting room.

He was spoken to by a store detective and a wrapped parcel he carried was found to be a galvanised iron box with a hinged top section. The box, commonly known as a

booster box, contained five items of clothing valued at $314, taken from the store.

In his car the police found a suede jacket valued at $295 and a parka and overtrousers worth $ll4 also stolen by the defendant. He was ordered to come up for sentence within six months if called upon, on the three charges. COMMUNITY WORK

An apprentice mechanic was ordered to do 100 hours of community service, when he appeared for sentence on charges of theft of $1296, and theft of a spray gun, from the service station which employed him. The defendant, Stephen Gerard Koers, aged 18, was also directed to repay the $1296 which he stole. At an earlier appearance, when Koers admitted the two thefts, the Court heard that he had taken the money from the till, between April and November. He told the police he bore no animosity to his employer. His motivation had been temptation and greed. He had taken the spray gun, initially with his employer’s consent, but had later taken it without consent when he needed it again.