Community Service

Ruapehu Bulletin, 10 August 1990, Page 17

Community Service

Sherron Tania Ryan, . 18, waitress of Ohakune, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with an excess blood alcohol level and to one charge of driving while disqualified. The charges arose out of an incident on 7 July when a car she had driven, collided with a power pole in Tyne Street, Ohakune. She had been taken to Wanganui Base Hospital for treatment for suspected injuries and it was there that a sample of blood was taken which showed 90 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood three hours after the accident. "Whilst it may not have been much over the limit (80:100) at that stage it would have been higher at the time of the accident," said Judge Toomey. Defendant was sentenced to 160 hours of community work on each of the two charges. She was disqualified from driving for 12 months on the excess blood alcohol charge and for 6 months on the driving while disqualified charge. She has undertaken to pay $1700 for the damage to the car which belonged to a friend. Change off plea Andrew John Tamatea, 25, of Ohakune and Darryl Wayne Pickery, 19 , of Ohakune both changed their pleas to guilty when they appeared to defend charges of assault, resisting arrest, obstruction and using threatening words, as reported in earlier editions of the Ruapehu Bulletin. The charges had origi-

nally arisen out of an incident on the night of 6 May during which Police Sergeant Russell England and Constable John Fraser, both of Ohakune, were called to a house in Ayr Street. When defence counsel for both defendant's, Mr Paul Brown, told the court about the changed and improved attitudes since their first appearance, in both his clients (whom he'd represented on previous occasions), Judge Toomey asked "if something had been added to the local water supply?" Defendant Tamatea was convicted and remanded on bail to appear for a probation report and sentence on 30 August. Defendant Pickery was sentenced to 80 hours of community service on the assault charge and ordered to come up for sentence within six months if called, on the threatening language charge. Assault charge A 45 year old shearer from Raetihi, was placed under supervision for 12 months and ordered to continue with anger

management and other counselling as well as alcohol assessment and treatment as required, following his conviction for assault on a female. Defence counsel, Mr Paul Brown, described how the assault charge arose out of a domestic incident which started with the defendant pushing the complainant, who then slapped his face. This escalated into a

full scale fight in which the defendant ended up with a knife wound to the wfist (requiring five stitches), a bitten nose and a kick to the groin area while the complainant was hit with an armchair. The defendant admits to having an alcohol problem, said Mr Brown, but the complainant gave as good as she got. Both defendant and complainant still live together.