Detention on fraud counts

Press, 17 June 1988, Page 7

Detention on fraud counts

Periodic detention for six months, coupled with an order to pay compensation of $3499, was the sentence given to a man convicted earlier of 29 charges of fraud and attempted fraud. In the District Court yesterday, Judge Mahon told lan Quentin Bridge, aged 30, a cleaner, that he had been impressed with a doctor’s report which said that he (Bridge) was now free of haard-drug usage. “That you have been able to accomplish this, is clearly to your credit,” he said. Counsel, Mr D. H. B. Hall, said his client’s wife had been on a downward spiral since, because of illness, he dropped out of university, where he was studying medicine. Bridge’s addiction to hard drugs had been the cause of his earlier offending, said Mr Hall. He said a $lOOO payment towards compensation could be made within seven days, and the balance paid off at $5O a week. The present offences were committed after Bridge took possession of

three stolen cheque books. Between October, last year, and April, this year, Bridge issued cheques with city retailers to obtain goods and services. CHARGES DENIED Charges of inducing a girl, aged 12, to do an indecent act on him, and doing indecent acts on her, were denied by a man, aged 44. The accused, who was granted continued interim suppression of his name, was remanded to August 1 for a defended hearing. The allegeed offending occurred at various times between June, 1981, and December, 1984. BEFORE JUDGE ERBER NINE MONTHS JAIL A woman who stole 10 watches, worth $lll3, from a display cabinet in a jewellery shop, was sent to prison for nine months. Dana Wrathall, aged 24, a solo mother (Mr G. R. Lascelles), told police she grabbed the watches “to swap for some drugs.” The offence took place on April 7. All the stolen property was recovered when the defendant was arrested soon after.