Judge says attack 'particularly repellent’

Press, 11 October 1988, Page 13

Judge says attack 'particularly repellent’

Violent offending when it involved people who were intellectually handicapped, as in the present case, was “particularly repellent,” said Judge Erber in the District court yesterday. Jason Robert Caldwell, aged 18 (Mr J. W. Appleby), was sentenced to corrective training. He was appearing for sentence on a charge of assault, conspiring with another person to commit aggravated assault and unlawfully taking the 21-year-old complainant’s motor-cycle, in June.

The effect of the ordeal on the complainant, who was partially mentally handicapped and suffers from cerebral palsy was impossible to calculate, said the Judge.

During the ordeal, the complainant was effectively tied up from 5 p.m. on June 12 until 11 a.m., next day, apart from when he was released for a brief spell so that he could return to his home for some medication. While tied up, the complainant’s motor-cycle was used and he was assaulted.

At one stage, said the Judge, Caldwell took a bottle of insect repellent.

He told the complainant it was battery acid and that he intended to pour it over his groin. The holding of the complainant arose from an incident at a party on June 9, in which a sum of money was stolen. The defendant, and his

associate, decided to find out if it had been taken by the complainant, or, if he knew who had taken the money. The Judge said that in the defendant’s favour he had made the complainant a cup of tea at the end of the ordeal. Mr Appleby said his client, who was “rather weak-willed,” had only taken a passive role. He was not the instigator of the offending. The man who was will face trial later. 18 MONTHS JAIL A man with 38 previous convictions for burglary and attempted burglary was sent to prison for 18 months when he appeared for sentence on a further

charge of burglary. Michael James Edwards, aged 25 (Mr M. J. Glue), had earlier admitted breaking and entering a house in Nursery Road, from which a considerable amount of property was stolen. FIRE EXTINGUISHERS A fine of $2OO was imposed on a man who, while walking through the Lyttelton Road Tunnel at 4.40 a.m., removed about 25 fire extinguishers from stands and activated fire alarms. Johannes Karelis Freye, aged 20, unemployed, and a first offender, told police he did it to attract attention, said Sergeant J. W. Dwyer. The offence took place on October 7.