Addict slashed wrists, then robbed again

Press, 13 April 1988, Page 22

Addict slashed wrists, then robbed again

A young man depressed because he faced a long jail term for aggravated robbery, slashed his wrists in an attempt to take his life.

After regaining consciousness in Burwood Hospital, he walked out the door and committed an almost identical offence. I ] This was related to Mr Justice Williamson in the High'. Court yesterday when he jailed Phillip James Bartram, aged 22, unemployed, for five years and nine months.]' Bartram had pleaded guilty in the District Court to two charges of ated robbery of a dairy in Purchas Street in October and of the Pizza Hut at Aranui in February, unlawfully taking a car from the car park at Nancy’s Hotel at Riccarton and escaping from custody.

On both occasions Bartram committed the robberies while he was drugged and under the influence of liquor. In ail, $2799 was stolen and none was recovered. ] His co-offender in the dairy robbery, Dean Warren Hollander, aged 19, who carried a shotgun,

was jailed for 4 l / 2 years by’Mr Justice Williamson in December.

About 10.25 p.m. on February 4 Bartram went to the Pizza HUt near the corner of Pages and Breezes Roads, jumped lover the counter into the kitchen and confronted Jacqueline Ann Millward. He had white sheeting wrapped around his head, and only his eyes and the bridge of his nose were showing. He had a hunting-type knife in his right hand and a replica pistol tucked into the front of his trousers.

Bartram ordered the woman “to get the money,” and she ran to where Wayne John Campbell was on the telephone. Bartram grabbed the telephone cord and ripped this from the wall.

He produced a bag which was filled with money from the till. When Bartram demanded that a safe should be opened, he was told the safe had an alarm. However, the cash float was;taken from the safe and "handed to Bartram, who made off, after asking a man in the car park

if he wanted to die. On March 18 ißartram was apprehended by the police and he claimed that he had been high on drugs and had been drinking at the time of the offence.

He could not recall going to the Pizza Hut but had a vague recollection of driving a small Japanese car.

Next afternoon he awoke surrounded by a pile of money — about $lOOO — scattered in the lounge. He knew he had done something after reading about a robbery in the newspaper.

He threw the coins away and spent the rest of the money on food, drugs and alcohol.

For Bartram, Mr Geoffrey Venning said that his client became very depressed after committing the first robbery when he realised that he faced a long jail term. He attempted suicide, and then made off .from Burwood Hospital.

It was inevitable that he would offend while living on the other side of the law. Bartram became desperate, sleeping at many different addresses and.

at times, in parks and fields. When Bartram committed the Pizza Hut robbbry he had no recollection] of about eight hours, because of drugs and alcohol, j ] His parents had separated when he was six, and his father was an alcoholic, i He lived in numerous foster homes and institutions and ran away frequently. i In less than 10 years Bartram had committed more than 70 offences and had been sentenced to 5>4 years in jail during that time. The list was horrendous, but he had few convictions for real violence. Most convictions were for dishonesty and traffic offences, Mr "Venning said. ] Mr Justice Williamson said that aggravated robbery carried a maximum of 14 years in jail. Those in the dairy were not to know that the shotgun was not loaded. ■

I “It is an ] unescapable conclusion that the community cannot trust you and that you] must be put away. for the safety of others,” said Mr Justice Williamson. ]