Man jailed, driving ban extended by 3 years

Press, 17 January 1986, Page 5

Man jailed, driving ban extended by 3 years

Eighteen months imprisonment, and extension of his driving licence cancellation by three years to September 26, 1990, have been imposed in the District Court on a youth, aged 18, who admitted 27 offences.

Judge Hattaway said, when imposing sentences on Duane Samuel Wright, unemployed, that his previous record of offending was a cause for concern, and three sentences of periodic detention, and two of corrective training, had made no impact on his behaviour. A prison sentence was inevitable because of the seriousness of the. present offences, the Judge said. After his release from prison Wright would be able to reflect on the course of his future, and test his present resolve to take treatment and advice for his alcohol and drug addiction, the Judge said. Wright received concurrent prison sentences of 18 months on two charges of burglary, and on seven charges of car conversion and seven charges of theft.

He received one-year prison terms on eight charges of driving while disqualified, six months imprisonment for possessing a set of seven keys which could be used to take motor vehicles, three months imprisonment on a charge of dangerous driving, and three months imprisonment for committing a breach of periodic detention. These sentences were all concurrent.

Wright’s disqualification for driving was extended by

a year on the dangerous driving charge, and by three years on the charges of driving while disqualified. . Defence counsel, Ms D. M. Shirtcliff, said that in spite of family support, Wright had lapsed into offending in the last two years “in a very big way.” His offending was drugrelated, and he had only the vaguest recollection of the period of the offences, because he was under the influence of drugs. Ms Shirtcliff sought a long term of supervision for Wright, with a special condition that he reside at an institution for drug and alcohol rehabilitation; or that any prison term imposed be as short as possible to enable Wright to seek this assistance upon his release. JAIL FOR ROBBERY

A robbery of a man accompanied by a vicious assault involving kicking him seven times in the face earned Clinton Joseph Tonihi, aged 23, unemployed, a prison sentence of nine months.

Tonihi was appearing for sentence, after pleading guilty at an earlier hearing, to a charge of robbing a man of $lO cash, and 30 valium tablets and 15 capsules of deloxene; and a charge of theft of $l7O from a woman.

On the theft charge he received a concurrent sentence of three months jail. The offences took place on December 31.

Ms Shirtcliff sought a sentence of supervision, with a proviso for treatment at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre, so that Tonihi

could overcome his addiction, return to the community drug-free, and in a position to obtain work.

The Judge said the police statement showed that Tonihi had stolen the $l7O from a friend, and that his assault on the man he robbed was particularly vicious, involving kicking him seven times in the face, causing a fractured nose, and other injuries. Tonihi had been jailed for six months in 1984 for a similar offence. His record showed a variety of offences, including some for dishonesty and threatening behaviour.

The gravity of the offences precluded a sentence less than imprisonment, the Judge said. He told Tonihi that if he was still motivated after the prison sentence to seek treatment, assistance would be available.

BIGAMY A period of 18 months supervision was imposed on Jan Elizabeth Bryant, aged 36, a cleaner, when she appeared for sentence on a charge of committing bigamy in 1982,11 years after she had been legally married. Bryant had admitted the

offence at a previous court appearance. Her counsel, Mr G. R. Lascelles, submitted in mitigation of penalty that Bryant was a person of very limited capacity. After her husband left her, she did not have the means to pay for divorce proceedings. She embarked on the second marriage without realising the significance of what she was doing, or the seriousness of the offence she was committing. The Judge said Bryant was already under supervision. He said it was appropriate to extend this a further 18 months. CHEQUE FRAUDS A woman admitted four charges of receiving cheques, and savings bank books, and subsequently using them to commit nine offences of obtaining a pecuniary advantage. The defendant, Lorraine Diane Kanuta, aged 35, a knife hand, was remanded on bail to January 29 for a probation report and sentence. The offences were committed in Auckland and Christchurch between Janu-

ary and April, 1984. Detective Sergeant N. E. Scott detailed the circumstances of the offences, which began when cheques or bank passbooks were received by the defendant from an accomplice. Some had been taken in burglaries, or reported lost. After receiving them, Kanuta had used them to obtain money, foodstuffs and liquor worth more than S2OOO. f

In one offence, she received a stolen building society savings book from a friend and withdrew $lOOO from this account at a city branch, and purchased $lOOO

worth of liquor from a local hotel.

When apprehended by the police, Kanuta said she had just been released from prison and needed the money to bring her three children together. She said half the money had gone to her associate. “HORSE PLAY”

A bit of horse play which got out of hand was how Robin Seymour Marychurch explained his indecently assaulting a girl aged 12 years. This took place behind the counter of a bookshop where he was working on Friday evening, December 13, the police said. Marychurch, aged 29, a cleaner, admitted indecently assaulting the girl and was convicted and remanded on bail to January 29 for a probation report and sentence.

Detective Sergeant N. E. Scott said the defendant was working as a shop assistant at the time, and the girl entered the shop and selected some magazines. Marychurch invited her to sit with him behind the counter. When the shop was empty of customers he kissed her on a cheek and handled her breast.

The girl became alarmed and left the shop. The police interviewed Marychurch, who said the incident had been a bit of horse play that got out of hand. A duty solicitor said the defendant denied the allegation, in the police statement, that he had handled the girl’s breast. ROBBERY CHARGE Bail was refused “in the public interest” for a man charged with aggravated robbery. The Judge remanded Richard Patrick Pirimona, aged 22, a wood carver, in custody to April 17 for the taking of depositions on a charge that, while armed with a knife, he robbed David John Brooking of $2.20 and a watch valued at $lO. The offence was alleged to have taken place between January 7 and 8. Mr A. M. Mclntosh applied for bail, "notwithstanding the seriousness of the offence.” Detective Sergeant Scott said the police opposed bail for the public’s protection. ,The charge was serious. DRIVING CHARGES

Three charges of driving while disqualified were admitted by Jeffrey Brent Woodgate, aged 25, unemployed. The offences took place in city or suburban streets on October 9, December 12 and December 23. Woodgate had driven on these occasions after having been disqualified from driving for six months on April 17 last year, for driving with an excessive ratio of

alcohol in his breath. Woodgate was remanded in custody to January 23, for a probation report and fentence, on the three offences..