Magistrate’s Court Goods worth $2300 stolen from cars

Press, 28 September 1976, Page 4

Magistrate’s Court Goods worth $2300 stolen from cars

Between May and September, two 17-year-old youths stole property worth more than $2320, Mr W. F. Brown, S.M., heard in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. Andrew Keith Halliday and Michael Andrew Miller, both car wreckers, pleaded guilty to a total of 47 charges. Both were convicted and remanded in custody to October 4 for probation reports and sentence. Miller was also ordered to have a medical examination with a view towards a sentence of detention centre training. He has been convicted on 25 charges of theft, three of unlawfully interfering with cars, one of car conversion and one charge of burglary. Halliday was convicted on 15 charges of theft, o.ne charge of burglary and one charge of car conversion. Sergeant J. C. Rowe said that $lllB worth of the property had not been recovered. Because of the high incidence of car thefts special police patrols had been formed in Christchurch. Between May and September more than $lOO,OOO worth of property had been stolen in 900 thefts from cars, Sergeant Rowe said. Also in this time more than 500 cars had been stolen. Halliday and Miller were arrested in Oxford Terrace on September 5 by one of these patrols. Both admitted stealing such items as petrol, car rugs, clothing, car batteries, tools and car radios. The property involved was worth more than $2320. Miller’s share of the restitution amounted to $385 and Halliday’s to $732 for the unrecovered property. DANGEROUS DRIVING A man who was seen to travel at speed through a red light on Kilmore Street, narrowly avoiding a collision, had later caused a multiple collision further down the street, when other cars were

stopped at the lights, the Court heard.

Immediately after the accident, the police found that the man smelled of liquor, he had bloodshot eyes and was un-co-ordinated in his movements. He had denied being the driver of the car David Baden Flutey, aged 36, a butcher, pleaded guilty to charges of dangerous driving, refusing to accompany a constable to the police station and refusing to give a specimen of his blood. He was remanded for a week for sentence. Sergeant Rowe said that at 5.10 p.m. on August 27, the defendant was seen driving at speed through a red light at the intersection of Kilmore and Manchester Streets. He narrowly missed colliding with another car. Further down Kilmore Street, at the intersection with Park Terrace, the defendant had switched lanes suddenly and ran into the back of a car which was stopped at the lights. This car had then rammed the car in front of it. The defendant showed signs of having consumed alcohol and he was asked to go to the police station for a blood test. Flutey had refused.

Eventually, at the police station, after a breath test proved positive, he was asked for a blood test. Flutey again refused. He had been un-co-operative with the police all the time, Sergeant Rowe said. (Before Mr F. G. Paterson, S.M.) DETENTION CENTRE Paul Raymond Edwards was sentenced to detention centre training when he appeared on nine charges of false pretence, one charge of assault under the Crimes Act, and one charge of having unpaid finis of $145. The defendant, aged 18, had pleaded guilty to all the charges. In respect of the assault charge, Sergeant B. G. Saunders said the offence occurred on July 1 at Mount Maunganui.

Sergeant Saunders said that a man walked into the police station in a distressed slate saying that the defendant had hit him in the mouth with his fist at least lour times. He also claimed that Edwards had robbed him of $ll.lO. Edwards was ■ interviewed by the police [and said in explanation that ; the complainant owed him money. Edwards said that the [complainant had stayed in his fiat and, while there, had run up toll bills amounting to $2B and then left without paying the bill. He said that he saw the complainant and demanded the money from him. He said the complainant had voluntarily given him the $ll but did not have any more money after that. To I remind him about the rest of I the money, Edwards said, he hit the complainant a couple of times. (Before Mr H. J. Evans, S.M.) TRIAL ELECTED One of a group involved in a gate-crashing incident during which a man was blinded in one eye, elected trial by jury when he appeared yesterday. Ross Geoffrey, Hodson, aged 22 (Mr D. C. Fitzgibbon), was remanded for depositions to November 3. He is facing charges of assault, assault with intent to injure, breaking and entering with intent to intimidate and of being a member of an unlawful assembly. POSSESSED CANNABIS Gary James Harvey, aged 17, a machine operator (Mr G. R. Lascelles), was fined $75 after pleading guilty to a charge of possessing cannabis. Sergeant Palmer told the Court that Harvey had been stopped by the police on September 5 after driving his car without lights. He had been seen to drop two reefer butts on the floor of the patrol car.