Three charged in crime spate

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 4

Three charged in crime spate

By

DEBORAH MCPHERSON

Two young women and a man will appear in the District Court today on charges of robbery, assault and attempted fraud after a robbery at knifepoint yesterday led to a series of incidents ' in Christchurch. A woman was robbed at knifepoint of her handbag outside the Sydenham Shopping Mall yesterday about 3.40 p.m., said Senior-Sergeant Rob Pope. She was approached by a teen-age girl, who produced a knife and snatched the handbag after threatening the woman. The woman was unhurt. The offender ran off and got into a waiting car with three other occupants. About 5.50 p.m., another young woman attempted to purchase goods at a central city store with a cheque and bank card taken in the earlier rob-

bery, said Senior-Sergeant Pope. When a woman staff member become suspicious and attempted to check the identification, she was assaulted by the young woman. When a male staff member tried to intervene he was assaulted by a man who had accompanied the woman into the store. No-one was hurt, but in the ensuing scuffle the offenders left and got into a waiting car. The police later found two men and two women in a city hotel. After being questioned, two of the women and one man were arrested. A fourth man was still being questioned in connection with the offences, said Senior-Ser-geant Pope. One woman, aged 19, was charged with aggravated robbery, the other, aged 18, was charged with assault and attempted fraud, and the man, aged 18, was charged with assault.