OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 10, Issue 453, 15 September 1992, Page 14

OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

The following cases were heard by Judge Richard Watson in the Ohakune District Court last Thursday. Police Constable Brian Wilson of Ohakune appeared for the prosecution.

Remanded in custody

Sonny Pikari, 29 market garden hand of Raetihi, appeared on a total of three separate charges but elected not to be represented by legal counsel. He pleaded guilty to: one charge of stealing 37 loaves of bread and 60 hamburger buns from William Taylor's bread van in Miro Street, Ohakune; one charge of stealing 33 queen-size bedsheets, 8 single sheets, 2 cartons of paper towels and 4 cartons of adhesives to the total value of $2,800.67 property of New, Zealand Rail; and one charge of breaking and entering Parklands Dairy and stealing $139 worth of confectionery. All these charges arose out of a series of incidents on the night of 21 June. The court heard how Pikari, together with some co-offenders first broke into a railway wagon at Ohakune Junction, then broke into the bread van in Miro Street and finally entered Parklands Dairy by breaking two windows valued at $309. As Pikari's share of reparation $1,228 was being sought for New Zealand Rail, $36 for William Taylor and $84 for Parklands Dairy. Pikari was told that he was facing a custodial sentence and was advised to seek legal representation when he appeared in the Wanganui District Court on 22 September. He was remanded in custody until then.

Another chance

Stephen Hoani Brown, 21, forestry worker of Rangataua, appeared on several charges including unlawfully taking motor vehicles, escaping custody, intentional damage while on bail and under curfew during which he was prohibited from entering licensed premises. He had been seen coming out of the back door of a local hotel on one occasion at 9.45pm but escaped and had been seen in a hotel car park at night on another occasion. After attending a party on 2 August he had unlawfully taken a Honda Prelude valued at $9,500 belonging to Richard Lindsay but had crashed into a ditch causing $855 worth of damage. He took clothing from the vehicle but this has since been recovered. He had then taken a 4WD farm bike valued at $7,000 belonging to Neil Whale but abandoned it when it ran out of petrol. Before passing sentence Judge Watson pointed out that Brown had committed no fewer than 12 unlawful taking of vehicle offences and all of these were related to the consumption of alcohol. "I have heard from your counsel that you are prepared to attend a drug and alcohol rehabilitation course." "However, I am suspicious of people who suddenly undergo a conversion to undertake drug and alcohol counselling (as you have done) immediately prior to their appearance in court and are faced with a custodial sentence," he said. "But because you now have a job and have agreed to pay reparation of $855 at the rate of $100 per week you will be remanded on bail for two months until 16 November to see if you can avoid a custodial sentence by completing that reparation payment and maintaining the conditions of bail - including observing the curfew and prohibition from entering licensed premises - between now and then." "Only by fulfilling these conditions and maintaining good behaviour will you avoid going to jail", he said.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Theft of ski boots

Shane Anthony Collett, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing a pair of ski boots valued at $400, the property of Christopher Wallace. Court heard how the boots which had been stolen earlier from a property in Burns Street, were found by Collett who then tried to sell them to a local ski shop without first trying to identify the owner or handing them to the police. Counsel Brian Mason explained that his client should have reported finding them because of their near-new condition

but it was not uncommon for good ski gear to be abandoned so that owners could obtain insurance, he said. Collett was convicted and fined $100 and ordered to pay $95 court costs.

Maximum community sentence

Peter Sydney Low, 24, tree planter of Pipiriki, appeared for sentence on a number of charges on which he had been found guilty after a defended hearing last month. The charges - possession of instruments for burglary, resisting lawful custody and escaping lawful custody - resulted from incidents in Raetihi and Pipiriki on 21 April. Because Low had already received a 60-hour community service for an earlier offence and because no other options (apart from a custodial sentence) were available in Pipiriki, he was sentenced to the balance of 140 hours community service to be served concurrently on each of the three charges. On the charge of driving while disqualified and with excess breath alcohol of 1150/1 in Golf Road, Taumarunui on 6 August he was also sentenced to 140 hours' community service (concurrent) as "part of the parcel" and disqualified indefinitely (a minimum of 2 years) until he had applied to the Traffic Safety Service of the Police Department for a new driving licence sometime after September 1994.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Three charges

Jerry Moses Tamatea, unemployed of Raetihi, pleaded guilty to three charges of burglary and theft arising out of incidents on the night of 21 June and involving cooffenders. One charge involved the theft of 33 queen-size and 8 single bed sheets, 2 cartons of paper towels and 4 cartons of adhesive from a New Zealand Rail wagon at Ohakune Junction. Another charge involved the stealing of 37 loaves of bread and 60 hamburger buns from a bread van in Miro Street, Ohakune. The third charge involved the theft of $139 worth of confectionery from Parklands Dairy in Ohakune. He was remanded to appear again in the Ohakune District Court on 8 October and ordered to observe a curfew from 8pm to 7aimevery day, including weekends, at 29. Queen Street, Raetihi.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Favour turns sour

Lindon Desmond Blake, 26, bushman of Ohakune, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol (500/1) on the Ohakune-Raetihi Road on 8 June. Court heard how Blake, who had not inTurn to page 15

OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

From page 14 tended to drive the company vehicle (a Suzuki truck) - had offered to do so after drinking 4 jugs of beer and realising his colleague and the intended driver of the vehicle was too inebriated to do so. In convicting and fining defendant $400, court costs $95 and disqualifying him for six months, Judge Watson noted that a written report of the incident stated that Blake had been 'cop-operative' instead of 'co-operative'.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Remanded at large

Warwick Francis Burling, 44, mechanic of Ohakune, was remanded

at large on one charge of driving with excess breath alcohol (450/1) and one charge of careless use of a motor vehicle in Railway Row, Ohakune, on 6 July. He is to appear for the taking of a plea on both charges on 8 October.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Unlawful taking

Richard Craig Taura, 18, unemployed of Raetihi, pleaded guilty to a charge of unlawfully taking a motor vehicle from Raetihi with a cooffender to National Park on the night of 17-18 July. The car had broken down in National Park and their suspicious behaviour in trying to

get it re-started had been noted by police. He was convicted and sentenced to 30 hours community service and disqualified from driving for 9 months. On a separate charge of being found unlawfully in an enclosed car yard in Tauranga (as reported last month) he was convicted and sentenced to 20 hours community service. These communitybased services were imposed instead of a fine because defendant already had outstanding fines of $1,100. In order to remit these existing fines he was sentenced to a further 60 hours community service.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Fine for car conversion

Pierre Ian Todd, 18, unemployed of Raetihi, pleaded guilty to unlawfully taking a Holden motor vehicle from Raetihi on the night of 17-18 July and driving it with co-offender Taura, to National Park where it broke down. Their attempts to restart the motor vehicle attracted the attention of local police who first offered help but then became suspicious. Todd was convicted and fined $300, court costs $95 and disqualified for 9 months.

Counsel:

Paul

Brown.

Warrant for arrest withdrawn

Darryl Wayne Pickery,

21, unemployed of no fixed address made a voluntary appearance after a warrant for arrest had been issued when he failed to report to the Taumarunui periodic detention centre on 22 February after having had a 6-month periodic detention sentence imposed on 30 January. The warrant for arrest was withdrawn but he was remanded to appear in the Ohakune District Court on 8 October to answer this charge as well as several other matters including some recent traffic of fences.

Counsel:

Brian

Mason.

Remand to allow investigation

Richard Kane Home, 26, casual worker of

Ohakune, was remanded at large so that his counsel, Mr Paul Brown, could investigate the charge of driving with an excess breath alcohol level of 500/1 on Ruapehu Road in Waiouru on 30 July.

Discharged

Marianne Tessa Paul, 18, unemployed of Ohakune, was discharged without conviction on a charge of breaking a police vehicle window valued at $85 on 27 June. The court heard that she had paid the reparation and had delivered a letter of apology to the police, as she was required to do from last month's hearing.

Remanded at large

Blair Robert Turley, 22, lift operator of

Ohakune, pleaded guilty to a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle in Railway Row, Ohakune on 6 July, but not guilty of driving with excess breath alcohol (700/1) and failing to accompany an officer on the same date and place. He was remanded at large to appear on the guilty-plea charge as well as the two not-guilty charges when he attends for a defended hearing on 8 October.

Counsel:

Brian

Mason.

Remanded without plea

Francis Mareikura, 40, access worker of Ohakune, was remanded at large without plea on a charge of causing bodily injury to Karen Tumer on 8 June.