OHAKUNE DISTRICT CQURT

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 13, Issue 606, 3 October 1995, Page 14

OHAKUNE DISTRICT CQURT

The following cases were heard by Judge Richard Watson in the Ohakune District Court Thursday 14 September. Police-sergeant Bob Evans of Ohakune appeared for the prosecution. Remanded to Auckland Aaron James Austin, 21, furniture-remover of Howick, Auckland, pleaded guilty to two charges of stealing and one charge of interfering with a motor vehicle. The charges of stealing related to the theft of a Kenwood car stereo valued at $599 the property of Mitsubishi Motors and of a Pentax camera and Pioneer compact disc player together valued at $2200. The charge of interfering related to a Mitsubishi vehicle and all charges arose out of offending which occurred on 20 August. In convicting and remanding the defendant to the Auckland District Court

on 26 October for a probation officers report and sentence as well as a reparation report, Judge Watson warned Austin that he was "looking down the barrel of ajailterm". Counsel: Eric Forster Dangerous driving on ski field Dion Anthony Gugich, 25, engineer of Auckland, was remanded without plea on two charges relating to offences which are alleged to have occurred at the Turoa Skifield on 12 August. On the charge of taking a Skidoo snowmobile (the property of Turoa Ski Resort) valued at $12,000 and a charge of dangerous driving on the Turoa Skifield, the defendant was remanded to 12 October. Counsel: Paul Brown. Careless use charge Simon Mark Page, 21, chef of Northcote, Auckland, was convicted and fined $250, court costs $95

and disqualified for two months on a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle in Ayr Street, Ohakune, on 15 July. Court heard that Page, having parked at right angles to the kerb had, when reversing to exit the space, struck another car causing $1100 damage. Judge Watson said the period of disqualification was imposed because, though Page denied any knowledge of the collision, he must have been aware of an impact causing so much damage and did not stop to ascertain damage. Four charges Daniel Charles Priday, 22, sickness beneficiary of Rangataua, pleaded guilty to four charges: careless use of a motor vehicle on SH1 at Mangaweka on 16 August; possession of cannabis oil on 16 August; receiving a Kenwood stereo valued at $600 but bought (by defendant) in Palmerston North for $100 between 15 July and 16 August and; receiving a Pioneer car stereo sometime between 10 and 16 August. On the two receiving charges (both stereos have been recovered) and the possession charge Priday was convicted and sentenced to supervision for nine months. On the careless use charge he was disqualified for three months. Counsel: Eric Forster

Excess breath alcohol James Morris, 44, sickness beneficiary of Ohakune, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol (626:1) on 9 September. Court heard how Morris was seen by police to get into a car at about 8.45pm outside the Ohakune Hotel and dri ve away in an inebriated state. He was convicted and sentenced to 80 hours community service and disqualified for six months. Lots of parties Adam Dominick Stephen Haitana, 29, unemployed of Raetihi, pleaded guilty to a charge of driving with excess breath alcohol (1010:1) in Foyle Street, Ohakune on 1 September. Haitana was seen by police to be wandering around the Thames Street area in a very drunken state at about 10.30pm on the night in question and was later stopped in Foyle Street driving a car which had earlier been borrowed by a friend. When his counsel, Eric Forster, suggested an appropriate sentence might be a term of community service rather than a fine because his client was unemployed and therefore unable to pay a fine, Judge Watson asked how Haitana could afford to drink so much alcohol to produce a reading of 1010:1.

Haitana explained that "there's lots of partying in Raetihi and alcohol was always available at parties". Initially convicted and sentenced to 1 20 hours community service and disqualified for 10 months on the drink driving charge, the community service sentence was increased by another 20 hours in remittance of past outstanding fines to a total of 140 hours. "Short fuse" Eugene Rangi Wilson, 25, mill hand of Rangataua, pleaded guilty to a charge of 'male assaults female'. Wilson ,was seen by police to punch the complainant in the face while both were sitting in a car in Thames Street, Ohakune, at about 10.30pm on 2 August. Through his counsel, Paul Brown, Wilson acknowledged that he had a "short fuse" but claimed the complainant had stmck him first. When Judge Watson heard that the victim has since moved to Wellington he suggested it might be better for her to remain there as "I suspect this is all about power and control over a woman and as you have already hit her once you are quite likely to do so again". Wilson was convicted and fined $400, court costs $95. Not guilty plea Robert Lewis Paul, 17, unemployed of Ohakune pleaded not guilty to a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle in Miro Street on 6 August. He was re-

manded to appear in the Ohakune District Court on 16 November for a defended hearing. Defended hearing Jerry Hiroti, 35, unemployed of Raetihi, pleaded not guilty to a charge of behaving in a disorderly manner likely to cause violence on 18 July. He was remanded to appear in the Ohakune District Court on 16 November for a defended hearing. Counsel: Paul Brown. Application for legal aid Marcus Herewini, 19,ta-ble-hand of Raetihi, was remanded to appear on 12 October on charges of stealing a set of car keys, a radar detector and a steering wheel club together valued at $245 on 22 August. The month's remand was to allow for an application for legal aid to be lodged. Remand for depositions Steven Leon Hagley, 28, garden- worker of Ohakune, was remanded for a depositions hearing in the Taihape District Court on 25 September on a charge that he "wilfully attempted to obstruct the course of justice by concealing the fact that he was the dri ver of a niotor vehicle which was involved in an accident at Tangiwai on 8 July thus avoiding a drink/drive investigation". Assault charge denied David Ian McKenzie Fairhurst, 25, carrot-sorter

of Ohakune, pleaded not guilty to a charge of 'male assaults female' on 25 August. In remanding the defendant to 1 6 November for a defended hearing Judge Watson told him he must not contact or associate with the complainant during the remand period. Defended hearing Lindon Desmond Blake, 29 , unemployed of Rotorua, pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting a female on 29 July. He was remanded to appear in the Ohakune District Court on 16 November for a defended hearing. Counsel: Paul Brown. Disqualified driving charge Adrian Michael Brown, 1 8, unemployed of Raetihi, pleaded not guilty to a charge of driving while disqualified on SH49, between Raetihi and Ohakune on 6 May. Asked by Judge Watson what the basis of the defence would be, counsel Paul Brown said the question of identification (of the driver) would be contested. The defendant was remanded for a hearing in the Ohakune District Court on 16 November. Warrant for arrest Michael Paul Drummond, 29, photocopy operator of Lower Hutt, did not appear to answer a charge of offensive behaviour said to have occurred on 8 September and a warrant for arrest was issued. Interim name suppression Two adults (one male, one female) were given interim suppression of name when they appeared and were remanded to 1 2 October on charges of attempting to mislead officers of the Department of Social Security by omitting to disclose information about employment while in re-. ceipt of a sickness benefit during the following periods: from 9 October 1992 to 10 April 1994 and from 22 March 1993 to 14 June 1994.