Pointed gun at police

Press, 25 February 1987, Page 6

Pointed gun at police

A Rakaia man was sentenced to 75 hours of community service in the District Court at Ashburton after the police said he woke a woman and later pointed a shotgun at police.

Anthony John McKinley’s counsel, however, told the Court that the defendant had been drinking heavily, and after being put to bed in his caravan, heard noises outside. Unaware that it

was the police responding to a call from the woman the defendant went to the caravan window with his shotgun. An armed offenders squad from Christchurch was called to the incident on January 23. McKinley, unemployed, aged 23, was also found to have ammunition and about 300 cannabis seeds in his caravan. Counsel said the shotgun was unloaded when he pointed it

at the police. ) Mr Patrick Costelloe also told the Coiirt the woman in a nearby house had been woken when the defendant was frantically searching for some keys he had dropped in long grass. After Mr Costelloe’s submissions, Judge Bisphan conceded that the facts were less serious than they appeared at first, and sentenced the defendant to 75 hours of community service.