Woman with 40 convictions ‘at end of road’

Press, 24 February 1988, Page 7

Woman with 40 convictions ‘at end of road’

A woman, aged 61, who appeared for sentence in the District Court yesterday after her fortieth conviction for theft had “reached the end of the road,” said Judge Erber.

Ethel Jo Helmbright, unemployed (Mr M. J. Glue), “a lonely, pathetic, but quite defiant person,” was jailed for three months. She was sentenced on five charges of theft and for a breach of periodic detention. Most of Helmbright’s 35 previous convictions for theft occurred since October, 1984. Some of the most recent offending took place while she was on bail awaiting sentence, said the Judge. According to a psychiatric report the defendant was not suffering from any major psychiatric illness. Helmbright was a lonely, pathetic woman with an inability to get on with others. She presented the courts with a considerable sentencing problem because of her age and her continued offending, said the Judge. Mr Glue said that apart from the breach of periodic detention all his client’s previous offending was for theft. In recent years there had been a sorry progression of offending. It seemed that Helmbright, who was clearly delusional, was a schizoid personality.

A considerable amount of stolen property had been recovered at her home, said Mr Glue, when seeking leniency. SERIES OF CHARGES The community expected the courts to impose a sentence which would disable Joseph Ranginui Edwards, aged 41, a carver, from committing further offences, said the Judge. Edwards (Mr P. D. Woolley) was jailed for 18 months. He had been convicted on a charge of receiving property, valued at $1199, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and possession of cannabis.

Of Edwards’ 19 previous appearances for dishonesty, seven were for receiving, and three

were for driving while disqualified. The probation report was really without any serious hope for his rehabilitation, said the Judge. The Judge declined applications by Mr Woolley for Edwards to go to Odyssey House for drug treatment, and to delay sentence until the outcome of a depositions hearing next month, when the accused faces charges of aggravated burglary, burglary, possession of instruments for burglary, and possession of a pistol.

DRUG CULTIVATION One hundred and twenty-three cannabis plants found by police growing at a Palmers Road address were, according to David Archibald Robinson, aged 32, for his own use, said Sergeant K. Morrison. Robinson, a selfemployed gardener, committed the offence on February 18. Sergeant Morrison said the plants ranged from 40cm''to 2m in height. Robinson was convicted and remanded for two weeks for sentence. BURGLARY CHARGE A man who threw a stone through a supermarket window and stole 21 cartons of cigarettes, valued at $535, told the police he needed money, as he was changing flats. Robert Anthony Gunning, aged 26, unemployed, committed the burglary on February 15. He was apprehended nearby on a motor-cycle. All the stolen property was recovereed. Compensation of $292, in respect of the broken window, was sought from the defendant. OFFICE BURGLARY A man who was in favour of abandoning an associate who during an attempted burglary became trapped between two walls of a High Street building was convicted of burglary. Mark Gary Fearn, aged 18, unemployed (Mr R. S. Peters), was remanded in custody for sentence on March 1. Fearn admitted burgling the office premises of Trustbank Holdings, Ltd, on February 7. When the associate

slipped on the third-floor level between the walls of Stewart Dawson Jewellers, and Smith and Brown, Ltd, Fearn wanted to abandon him but a third associate refused to and called emergency services, which resulted in their apprehension. Fearn denied a charge of possessing an offensive weapon. On this charge he was remanded to a date in April for a defended hearing. GAMING CHARGES

Three charges of playing “two up,” an illegal game of chance, and one of theft, were denied by Monty Moana Horua, aged 32, a bone carver.

Horua (Mr A. N. D. Garrett) was remanded to April 11 for a defended hearing. He is charged with committing the gaming offences on January 14, 19 and 21.

The alleged theft of $450 from the Halswell Dairy occurred on February 21. FALSE CLAIMS A former insurance clerk who with two associates obtained $28,724 from 41 false claims was sentenced to periodic detention for 10 months. The Judge told William Charles Albright, aged 41, unemployed (Mr P. B. McMenamin), that had he committed the offending five years ago he would have been on his way to prison. “In view of the horror of the experiences you suffered from in the 19605, and your present domestic circumstances, some explanation can be found for your offending,” said the Judge. He deferred until July 26 the question of $19,514 reparation sought from Albright. One of Albright’s associates convicted on 31 charges was sentenced to periodic detention for six months and ordered to pay $1066 reparation. The other offender has yet to be apprehended. The fraud offences were committed between June, 1986, and June, last year. On his return to New Zealand from overseas the defendant had voluntarily gone to the police and admitted the frauds.