Two deny container theft

Press, 24 May 1988, Page 21

Two deny container theft

Four 20ft-long steel shipping containers weighing 47,5001 b each went missing from the yard of Southern Containers, Ltd, in Maces Road, and were later found next to a motorcycle shop in Tuam Street. The serial numbers were missing and the containers were being repainted, Judge Erber and a jury were told in the District Court yesterday.

The trial of two men, who have denied charges arising from the disappearance of the containers, is expected to take three days. Lindsay Alexander Williamson, aged 33, coproprietor of a motorcycle shop, and Owen Frederick Good, aged 28, a fork-lift driver, are jointly charged with the theft of two containers, valued at $lB,OOO in all, the property of the Union Steam Ship Company.

Williamson faces an alternative charge of stealing two containers by conversion.

He has pleaded not guilty to a charge of stealing two containers, worth $9OOO, the property of Sea- trans New Zealand, Ltd, and to an alternative charge that he received these when knowing them to have been stolen. Messrs Peter Penlington, Q.C., and John Sandston appear for the Crown; Mr Barry Atkinson, Q.C., and Ms Colleen Hooyi for Williamson; and Mr Peter Woolley for Good.

The trial concerned the theft of four shipping containers from Southern Containers, Ltd, in Maces Road which stored and repaired the containers, Mr Penlington said when opening the Crown case. Good had been a forklift driver employed by the company and Williamson was one of the joint owners of Christchurch Motor-cycles, of Tuam Street. Two of the containers were owned by the Union Steam Ship Company and two by Seatrans New Zealand, Ltd. These were taken to the yard in Maces Road between August and October last year, but later ended up in the yard of Christchurch Motor-cycles. It was the Crown case that Williamson and Good were parties to a joint unlawful enterprise to obtain the containers.

Good had the authority to release the containers from Southern Containers yard and they could not be removed without his co-operation. Williamson arranged the transport. The Crown alleged that Williamson had the Union Company containers painted another colour and the serial numbers removed.

Evidence would be given by John Wayne Saville, the managing director of Southern Containers, which had a staff of 18 and a yard with a capacity of about 1200 containers.

In March, 1987, Good joined the company as a fork-lift driver. His principal task was to take in containers and issue them according to documents from the company office. One of his last duties for the day was to place a container to block the access to the rear of the yard.

The containers were made of steel, were 20ft in length, Bft wide and Bi/ 2 feet high. These each weighed 47,5001 b and were valued at $9OOO. When a stocktake was made at Southern Containers in November last year two Union Company and four Seatrans containers were found to be missing. The Union Company containers were less

than 12 months old. Mr Saville went to Christchurch Motorcycle’s premises where he saw five containers in the backyard.

Two he identified as belonging to the Union Company and another two to Seatrans.

The containers were being repainted and the numbers had been removed. The matter was reported to the police, Mr Penlington said.

Detective Constable Richard Athol Neale would give evidence of police searching the Christchurch Motor-cycles premises on November 26.

When Detective Neale told Williamson that he believed that two of the containers had been stolen, Williamson was visibly shaken. Williamson said that the containers had been used to transport motor-cycle parts from America.

After Williamson was told that the two containers were only used on the Tasman run he replied: “Well I am in a bit of a spot here. They are not really mine. A guy dropped them off and I’m using them.” Asked again where the containers came from, Williamson had said: “We just bought the section next to this one a month ago. It was railway land and the two containers were on there.” Mr Saville had a discussion with Good about the missing containers, and Good said that he had been asked for a loan of two of them. He conceded that he had no authority to lend the containers nor had he asked for permission. Interviewed by Detective Neale, Good had said: “I am not going to muck around. I took them.” He then said that he would plead guilty to taking the two containers. Good made a written statement in which he said that about two months before, Williamson had come to Southern Containers and asked to borrow two containers. Good had said that he would see what he could do. The containers were wanted to transport motor-cycle parts to Wellington. They would then be returned to the yard. For his services, Good said that he was to be given parts for his Triumph motor-cycle.

Good told Williamson the containers were not to be altered. Later when he saw the containers they had been painted grey, Good said in his statement.

On November 27, Williamson told Mr Saville that the Union containers had been borrowed as the result of an arrangement with the fork-lift driver. The Seatrans containers had arrived in the yard next to his premises while he was on holiday and one of his employees had started painting them without his knowledge. He knew nothing about the Seatrans containers going missing. When Detective Neale told Williamson that it looked as though he was going to be • arrested, Williamson had replied: "Oh well I slipped up. These things happen.”

The four containers were received at Southern Containers between August 11 and October 9, and there was no record of them having left the yard after that time. Evidence would be given by Grant Clever Ancell, of the Railways Corporation that no containers were left on the land purchased by Christchurch Motor-cycles, said Mr Penlington.