Man discharged on water-pistol charges

Press, 29 December 1988, Page 11

Man discharged on water-pistol charges

A comparison between Lloyd George Millar firing a water pistol at a traffic officer, and the Prime Minister firing a water pistol at a reporter, was made by defence counsel, Mr E. Bedo, in the District Court yesterday. He succeeded in his submissions to have Millar, aged 28, a cook, discharged without conviction for two offences arising from the incident. These were of assaulting David Lance Lavery, a traffic officer, and of unlawfully presenting the water pistol at the traffic

officer in circumstances likely to lead him to believe it was a firearm. Millar pleaded guilty to both charges. Sergeant J. E. Dwyer said that at 1.20 a.m. on December 24, Millar approached a traffic petrol car in Manchester Street and fired the water pistol at Traffic Officer Lavery. The traffic officer was alarmed at seeing the water pistol, believing it was a real weapon, until he was sprayed with water. When questioned about the incident, Millar said it

was national water-pistol day and he was in high spirits and did it for a dare, Sergeant Dwyer said. To Judge Frampton, the sergeant said the assault charge related to Millar’s spraying water over the traffic officer. Mr Bedo submitted the offence was technical. He sought discharges without conviction on both charges, and said Millar had no previous convictions. Nobody was injured, and the traffic officer had only a little water

squirted on him. Millar had afterwards apologised to the traffic officer. He had spent some time in police custody after his arrest. Counsel said Millar had commented to him that it appeared all right for the Prime Minister to present a water pistol at a reporter. Surely this was a parallel incident, Mr Bedo said. He submitted that the traffic officer’s apprehension about it being a real weapon was very brief, before he was squirted and then knew it was only a water pistol. Mr Bedo said that to enter convictions for these charges would far outweigh the gravity of Millar’s actions. He said policemen had

squirted the water pistol at each other after the incident. Discharging Millar without conviction on both charges, Judge Frampton took into account factors including that Millar had no previous convictions, and had been arrested and spent some hours in custody. No injury had been caused and he had apologised to the traffic officer. OUTBOARD MOTORS On alternative charges of breaking and entering a marine supply shop, and unlawfully receiving six outboard motors worth $13,053, James Marsters, aged 34, was remanded on bail to January 4. No plea was taken. The charges were of breaking into the premises of Garden City

Marine between December 26 and 27, and of unlawfully receiving from a person or persons unknown the six outboard motors during the same period. DRUGS CHARGES On three drugs charges, Philip William Rickard Horrell, aged 26, a hosiery technician, was remanded on bail to January 16. The charges were of possessing opium, and cannabis oil, both class B controlled drugs, and cultivating cannabis, a class C drug, all on December 22. ESCAPING CHARGE A prison inmate, Nigel Robert Monson, aged 19, was further remanded in custody without plea to January 4.

He made a further appearance on a charge of escaping from Rolleston Prison on December 21. AIR PISTOL CHARGE On a charge of injuring Steven James Barwell by carelessly using a .177 cal air pistol on October 21, Jeffrey Murry Carrodas, aged 18, unemployed, was remanded on bail to February 3 for a defended hearing. He pleaded not guilty. He pleaded guilty to six other charges. These were two charges of cultivating cannabis, on September 9 and December 14, and possessing a pipe for a drug offence on September 17, theft of a washing machine on September 9, committing a breach of his bail conditions by failing to attend

Court on September 22, and committing a breach of periodic detention on September 3. On these charges, he was remanded on bail to January 23 for sentence. SOLD CANNABIS Police who searched Noel Arthur Cameron’s flat on December 16 found two bags, each containing lOg of cannabis, secreted up a chimney, said Sergeant Dwyer. He said the search was made after a man who was found with two cannabis bullets, said he had purchased these from Cameron. The defendant, aged 23, unemployed, pleaded guilty to a charge of selling cannabis. He was convicted and remanded on bail to January 13 for sentence.