Received ski jacket

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 11, Issue 509, 26 October 1993, Page 9

Received ski jacket

Justin Edward King, 20, unemployed of Raetihi, but employed as a cleaner by Turoa Ski Resort last season, appeared to defend a

charge of receiving a red North Face ski jacket valued at $550 being the property of John Frederick Campbell, on or about 1-10 November 1992. The first prosecution witness was the owner of the jacket, Mr Campbell, who identified it as his by a fishing line burn. He said that as a Turoa snow-groomer last year he had kept his jacket in a secure locker on the skifield before it was stolen. The next witness, Ohakune police constable Greg Phillips said that he had been alerted to the possibility that the stolen jacket was seen being used on the Turoa skifield on 1 August this year. After checking that a jacket matching the description was in a nametagged backpack he approached King and questioned him about the j acket. King at first denied that he had the jacket before he was shown it in his backpack. King had originally told constable Phillips that he had bought the jacket some three years earlier from the Junction Ski Shop for $200$300. He later changed his story to say that he had bought it from a person who had approached him at home offering to sell it for $550. The explanation he gave for changing his story, when being charged and interviewed later at the Ohakune police station, was that only shortly before being found with the jacket in his possession he had heard it was 'hot' and he had panicked. Judge Watson said that the issue was whether defendant, King, knew at the time of purchase if the j acket had been stolen or dishonestly obtained. "Anyone who makes an honest purchase would not have attempted to conceal it and I have no difficulty coming to the conclusion that defendant must have known it was stolen or dishonestly obtained", he said. On the charge of receiving King was convicted and fined $250, court costs $95 and on two further charges (one of stealing a Khatamandu fleece jacket valued at $850 and one of possession of a pipe in contravention of the Misuse of Drugs Act to which he had

earlier pleaded guilty he was convicted and fined $150, court costs $95, and convicted and fined $ 1 00, court costs $95 respectively. Counsel: Gary Johnson.