Intimidation admitted

Press, 20 February 1986, Page 16

Intimidation admitted

A man will face sentence in the High Court on February 26 after admitting at a depositions hearing in the District Court yesterday a charge of threatening to kill a young woman flatmate in an attempt to dissuade her from giving evidence against him on a charge of assaulting her. Evidence at the preliminary hearing of the charge against Ward lan Magon, aged 21, a driver, yesterday was that soon after being released on police bail, he had kicked in the door of his flat at 2.30 a.m. on November 13. He there had threatened to kill his flatmate, Shelley Anne McKenzie, if she did not withdraw a charge of assault she had made against him the previous evening. He was to appear in the District Court later that morning on the charge of assaulting Miss McKenzie, who said she had suffered two black eyes and a cut under an eye. Miss McKenzie said that when Magon broke down the door and entered her bedroom he said he wanted to talk to her. He asked her to drop' the assault charge against him. She said she told Magon she would. She had no intention of doing so, but feared he might as-

sault her again, as he had kicked in the door and was “pretty violent.” Magon remained there the rest of the night. Before he left to attend the court she told him she did not intend withdrawing the assault charge. He then threatened to kill her. Miss McKenzie complained to a police sergeant at the court that morning of the threat Magon had made. Police evidence was given that Magon, when questioned about this matter, denied threatening Miss McKenzie and said he had gone to the flat to ask her to drop the charge. He had forced open the door as the flat was rented in his name. ' He said he had been asked to stay the remainder of the night, and did so. He said he would not harm the complainant as he loved her. After the completion of prosecution evidence, Magon pleaded guilty to the threat charge. Mr J. H. Christensen and Mrs C. M. Holmes, Justices of the Peace, committed him to the High Court for sentence, and remanded him on bail. Mr T. W. Fournier appeared for Magon. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell prosecuted.