Doctor thrown against wall

Press, 1 June 1988, Page 14

Doctor thrown against wall

A sickness beneficiary threw a doctor against a wall and assaulted a medical orderly who attempted to restrain him, said Sergeant M. J. South in the District Court yesterday. Reginald Joseph Fulton, aged 28, admitted the offending, which took place in the Wanganui Hospital on May 5. He was convicted by Judge Frampton and remanded to June 20 for sentence.

Sergeant South said the defendant was in hospital because of an epileptic condition and unexplained fits.

The violent incident with the doctor occurred while the defendant was under medication.

Fultpn also detained two nurses in a lift while travelling up and down for a time, he said. In explanation, the defendant said he had had 12 years of treatment for his alcohol and drug dependency and did not consider the hospital was giving him the right course of treatment.

Counsel, Mr J. W. Appleby, said his client had a considerable medical background. He now lived in Christchurch and was making good progress with his drug rehabilitation treat-

ment. According to the victim impact report, the doctor suffered nothing more than some scratches, while the orderly suffered only minor bruising, he said. A sentence of probationary supervision was sought by Mr Appleby. NINE MONTHS JAIL Sentencing options tried over the last Q l / 2 years for Mark Wayne Fox had been offending appeared to have had little deterrent effect, said the Judge. He sent Fox to prison for nine months. Fox was for sentence on two charges of assault, unlawful possession of a length of timber, assault using a bottle as a weapon, and the theft of a wallet and contents. The charges related to an incident in which a man asleep in his unlocked car in Lichfield Street at 2 a.m. awoke to find Fox, aged 20, a sickness beneficiary, searching through his wallet. On being handed his wallet back, the complainant saw $5O was missing. Fox then struck the man in the face with a bottle.

The complainant suffered lacerations to his face and arms.

When he took off in pursuit of Fox, he was confronted by Fox wielding a 2ft length of timber. ROBBERY CHARGE One of three persons charged v with breaking into a Linwood Avenue flat early yesterday and robbing the occupants was remanded in custody to July 19 for the taking of depositions. He is Brian Robert Welsh, aged 39, unemployed. A second co-offender, William Houkamau, aged 23, a labourer, was remanded in custody to June 7. A third person to the two joint charges appeared in the Children and Young Persons Court. They are charged, in addition to the burglary, with robbing Gary Michael Hawthorne of a stereo amplifier, valued at $2OO, four cannabis plants, and $BO in cash. Sergeant South opposed bail for Houkamau and Welsh because of the serious nature of the alleged offending. The complainant was hit on the head with a block of concrete, and a girl at the flat was hit in the face. DISMISSED Two deposition hearings in the last two months had to be adjourned because

the complainant was in Australia, and it was unreasonable for the defendant to have to wait another two months for a third depositions date, said counsel, Mr D. J. Holdemess.

He was appearing for Joseph Richard Paynter, aged 30, who faced charges of assault and unlawful possession of an offensive weapon, com--mitted in February. Sergeant South had sought to have yesterday’s deposition hearing adjourned to July 25. • Although the complainant was in Australia, he had been contacted by the police and Sergeant South said he would be returning to New Zealand eventually. The Judge discharged Paynter on the assault charge and dismissed the alleged weapon offence. THREAT CHARGE Bail was opposed for Gary Norman Wilson who is charged with trespassing at an address in Hoanui Street, threatening to kill a man, and resisting a police officer. Sergeant M. J. South said the alleged offences, which took place yesterday, were committed while Wilson was on bail. The defendant was remanded in custody to June 3.

BROKE WINDOW A man wha. for the second time in- recent weeks broke a window at an Armagh Street'bank was fined $l5O and ordered to pay compensation of $2OO. ’ . George Patrick Shannon, aged 50, was ordered by the Judge to make immediate payment otherwise he would spend 21 days in prison. Shannon, represented by Mr S. O’Neill, gave no explanation for the offence which took place on the afternoon of May 24. (Before Judge Fraser) i EXTRA TERM A man who stole a $9OOO car had three months added to the 12month prison term he is currently serving. William Edward Harding, aged 47, was convicted on the charge last week. According to the police summary, Harding was given the car by a woman to sell on her behalf.. He kept the vehicle for his own use and over seven months travelled 30,000 kilometres. The vehicle had since been returned to the owner. Harding was im? prisoned for 12 months for defrauding three, women, one of whom was the car’s owner, of $6lOO.