Judge says addict not to be trusted

Press, 23 March 1988, Page 26

Judge says addict not to be trusted

Society cpuld not trust a drug addict) I because I he could do anything to satisfy his craving, Mr Justice Williamson said in the High Court yesterday. His Honour jailed [Shane Pita Rapana, aged 21, unemployed, ifor' two)[years and 11 months on charges of aggravated robbery of a chemist [ [shop and of unlawfully [taking a) [car. The Court was tola that Rapana was “hanging out” for drugs whbn. he raided the! Warrington Street chemist shop on the afternoon of February' 15. Rapana [pleaded j guilty in the District Court to charges of [ assaulting Suzanne Jocelyn : Scoringe w th intent | to rob [ while armed with' a sawn-off .303 rifle, and unlawfully taking a ■ car valued at $3OOO, the property of Richard ! Beresford Nightingale. . [ I Miss Bridget Draper, for the Crown, said that Rapana entered the shop of A. B. Munro about 2.40 pirn. There) was no customers in the shop! j • ) I One woman assistant was behind the counter and the other was j in the dispensary] 11 I |H | J [ Rapana was wearing a balaclava, ) had a bag in ope hand [ and the cutdown rifle) [covered by a white sock,)in the [other.

The assistant was pushed towards; the dispensary, i Rapaiia removed the [covering and pointed the [gun at her. In the dispensary he put - the bag on the floor and repeatedly demanded that this should be filled with drugs. | I. T| I [When two men entered the shop, Rapana male off, leaving' the bag tehind. ppi i He got into [the car lei hald taken from Richard-) son Terrace earlier aid drove off. The car was later recovered in Staple- • tons Road. ' p ! ) JVhen apprehended by) the police, [Rapana said that the offence was committed | on trie spur of the moment because he was "hanging | out.”! For Rapana,) Mr Murray Abbott said Jthat his client had taken the) car on the Saturday ] night for transport and) not | to commit the robbery;' He converted the car [after) visiting a drug dealer.) ' | T P Rapana had an obsession with motor vehicles i and many of his long list ’of]' convictions involved vehicles. [After his release fr6m Mount Eden Prison he returned [ to Christchurch: where he continued [to! satisfy his drug addiction) [ ; but tlfen; dealers refused to give

him | any more drugs bn . credit. | While in Mount Edpn, Rapana had ready access to drugs! and after his release he continued to [ feed his habit. ! | The two men came into the shop after being alerted by an alarm in the : dispensary. Rapana painicked and ran off. The rifle) was not loaded arid did not have a magazine. [ ; This was Rapana’s fi(st serious offence involving violence. It had all the marks of bravado brought about by his desperation for drugs, Mr Abbott said. ) Mr Justice Williamson said I that a firearm hhd been' used to threaten trie assistants in an attempt )to get drugs. | The use of a weapon was [a bad feature of the offence. The assistants did riot Show the gun was riot loaded. i . ) Soine planning had . been[ done, and Rapana had involved another person who had been waiting to pick him up. ) ' I Since 1981 Rapana had committed a large number of offences and every sentencing option) had been imposed on him, including jail terms. ;A jail term had to be imposed to protect the community, said Mr Justice Williamson.