Hunter shot in shoulder

Press, 5 July 1988, Page 4

Hunter shot in shoulder

A Rakaia man accidentally shot in the shoulder during a hunting expedition on Saturday afternoon remained in a comfortable condition in Christchurch Hospital yesterday.

The man, whose name was unavailable, was with companions near the head of the Ashley River, when the accident occurred. The bullet broke his shoulder blade. School fire The cause of the fire which destroyed the Shirley Intermediate School hall early on Sunday morning has yet to be established. Fire safety officers and detectives sifted through the charred shell yesterday morning. Detective Sergeant Kieran Kortegast said a church social had been held in the hall on Saturday evening. “We have not discounted the possibility it may have been a discarded cigarette or some other accident,” he said. “There is nothing to indicate it is arson at this stage.” Detective Sergeant Kortegast said there was no evidence of forced entry to the hall.

He said inquiries were continuing and it could be several days before the police and Fire Service could come to any conclusion. Youths sought A group of youths may be responsible for a spate of offending in the New Brighton area over the last six months, according to the police. “The New Brighton police think there is a likelihood a group of half-a-dozen youths living in the area could be responsible for a number of offences in the area,” said Senior-Sergeant John Henry. “They are known to us and inquiries are continuing.” The offences include burglaries, thefts from cars and thefts of car badges and wheel trims. “This has been going on for the last six months or so.” Meanwhile, burglars hit the New Brighton area over the week-end with a dairy, bakery and hair salon in the Effingham Street shops entered. Two youths, aged 16 and 18, have been arrested over the dairy and bakery burglaries. The North New Brighton School, in Leaver Terrace, was also burgled at the week-end and curtains worth $750 stolen. The school was also burgled recently.

Stair dancers Two men working together are believed responsible for a number of opportunist thefts from Sydenham and Waltham offices in the last two months. The offences, called stair-dancing, have targeted mainly handbags. The police advise office workers to keep handbags and other valuables secure. Detective Sergeant Kortegast said the men sought are Maori, one aged about 20 and the other about 25. The older man is thin, about 173 cm (sft Bin) tall, with a drawn face, curly shoulder-length hair and a bushy moustache. He normally wears a black crew-neck fisher-man-knit jersey, black trousers or jeans, and white gym shoes or work boots. The younger man is of medium build with blond or light-coloured, shoul-der-length hair. He normally wears white gym shoes, dark trousers and a white sweat shirt. Occasionally he wears a brown bomber jacket. Knife threat A man was pulled from his car and threatened with a knife in Gloucester Street early on Sunday. The incident happened about 1.50 a.m. when the victim was sitting with another person in a car. The offender got out of a yellow Mazda RX7 which was parked nearby. He grabbed the person from the car and threatened him with the knife. The offender then led him along the road with an arm around him. Detective Sergeant Kortegast said the offender then released him and got in the passenger side of the RX7 which was driven off by an associate. The man sought by the police is European, aged about 22, about 173 cm (sft Bin) tall, with fair hair. He was of tidy appearance. Shed fire A small galvanised shed behind the Countdown Foodmarket, in Wordsworth Street, was extentively damaged in a deliberately lit fire on Sunday morning. The fire, reported just before 1.30 a.m., is being investigated by the Christchurch C. 1.8. . A builder’s shed at the rear of the Televison New Zealand construction site in Worcester Street, was slightly damaged in an arson attack. The fire was discovered when staff arrived at work on Saturday morning. Another fire was set at the back of the new building but caused only charring.