OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 5, Issue 30, 21 December 1987, Page 10

OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

The following cases were heard by Judge E.W. Unwin in the Ohakune District Court last Thursday. Police-sergeant Neil Coker of Ohakune appeared for the prosecution. Traffic officers Ian Harrison of Ohakune and Dave Dowsett of Turangi appeared for the Ministry of Transport. ★ ★★ David Murray Bren-ton-RuIe, 22, optical technician of Palmerston North, pleaded guilty by letter to a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle on SH49 in Ohakune on 22 August. He was convicted and fined $150, court costs $55. ★ ★★ Denise Cribb, 20,

market garden worker of Ohakune, was to have defended a charge of failing to give way to which she had pleaded not guilty in October. However, after a change of plea to guilty she appeared for sentence on this charge together with a charge of having no driver's licence to which she had earlier pleaded guilty. She was convicted and fined $45, court costs $55 on each charge and disqualified from driving for 90 days. ★ ★★ Mark Cribb junior, 17, student of Raetihi, pleaded guilty to ..one charge of driving an unlicensed motor vehicle, one charge of driving a motor vehicle without a current WoF and one charge of having no driver's licence of any class at any time.

The charges resulted from defendant riding a Suzuki 250 motorcycle in Pitt Street, Raetihi, on 4 October. On the charge of having no driver's licence he was convicted and fined $45, court costs $55 and disqualified from driving for 90 days. On the other two charges he was convicted and discharged. ★ ★★ Donald Boyd Crow, 39, contractor of Taihape, pleaded guilty through counsel to one charge of failing to ensure that a load was secure and to one charge relating to a mileage distance licence. Court heard from defendant (who was not the driver of the vehicle involved) how a digger which was being transported on SH49 at Rangataua on 6 October was Cont'd on p. 19

OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

Cont'dfrom p. 10 not secured by chains as required because the chains had been stolen the night before. As the employer of the driver concerned, defendant had a "vicarious liability" in ensuring that the load was secure, said Judge Unwin. Defendant was convicted and fined $100, court costs $55 on each charge. Counsel: P. Brown. ★ ★★ Aaron Tremaine Prior Horne, 20, general hand of Raetihi, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving while disqualified, one charge of driving' a motor vehicle with no registration plates attached in the prescribed manner and to one charge of driving a motor vehicle with insufficient tread on the tyres. Court heard how defendant was stopped by a traffic officer on SH4 (the Parapara Road) on 6 October. Defendant's explanation was that he had been driving to get some petrol for the family's other car only because his father had a broken hand and was unable to drive himself. Defendant was aware that he was a disqualified driver. ' On the driving while disqualified charge he was convicted and sentenced to five months non-residen-tial periodic detention and disqualified from driving until December 1988. On the other two charges he was convicted and discharged. ★ ★★ Paul Anthony McDonald, 20, apprentice carpenter of Wanganui, pleaded guilty by letter to careless use of a motor ve-

hicle in Ayr Street, Ohakune, on 18 September. He was convicted and fined $175, court costs $55. ★ ★★ Alastair M o r r i s McKinlay, 23, carpenter

of Wellington, pleaded guilty by letter to a charge of careless use of a motor vehicle on SH49 at Rangataua on 12 July. He was convicted and fined $120, court costs $55.

Peter Joseph Madden, 29, builder of Wanganui, pleaded guilty to a charge of failing to ensure a load was secure while driving on SH49 between Ohakune and Raetihi on 17 June 1986. Cont'd on back page

OHAKUNE DISTRICT COURT

Cont'dfrom p. 19 Court heard how defendant had driven from Wanganui with a load of window frames and three electric stoves, After unloading the window frames in Ohakune he was driving to Raetihi when a gust of wind blew one of the electric stoves from the tray of his vehicle onto the road in the path of an on-coming Cortina car which was damaged by the stove. Through counsel defendant claimed that the manila rope holding the stoves had worn through and broken. He was convicted and fined $100 and ordered to pay $140 witness expenses. Counsel: P . Brown. ★ ★★ Tony John Pikari, 20, presser of Raetihi, appeared for sentencing on three charges to which he had earlier pleaded guilty. One charge related to the theft of a Honda motorcycle valued at $1400 and two charges related to breaking and entering premises including the Waimarino Squash Club from which a quantity of liquor and a number of club jerseys were taken. Court heard how defendant had sold the motor cycle for $100 and how most of the liquor taken from the Waimarino Squash Club had been consumed by

others attending a 21st birthday party. "A elassic example of how crime doesn't pay" said Judge Unwin as he ordered defendant to make reparation of S1800 with S900 to be paid by 1 April 1988 and the balance to be paid by 1 September 1988. He was also ordered to come up for sentence if he re-offended within 12 months. Counsel: P. Brown. ★ ★★ Steven John Scarrow, 29, labourer of Raetihi, had one charge of driving an unlicensed motor vehicle in Queen Street, Raetihi, on 25 August and one charge of having no driving licence of any class at any time, adjourned without plea to the Ohakune District Court on Friday 12 February 1988. Ross Alexander Stevenson, 17, student of Wellington, pleaded guilty by letter to careless use of a motor vehicle in Goldfinch Street, Ohakune, on 10 September. He was convicted and fined $75, court costs $55. ★ ★★ Jerry Moses Tamatea, 14, student of Ohakune, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle in Goldfinch Street on 24 September while having no driver's licence of any class at any time. He was convicted and fined $45, court costs $55 and disqualified from driving. ★ ★★ Neil Andrew Porokoru Wood, 20, apprentice plumber of Ohakune, pleaded guilty to one charge of driving with excess blood alcohol in Mangawhero Terrace, Ohakune on 14 October and to one charge of careless use of a motor vehicle causing injury. Court heard how defendant and some friends had left a party at Ohakune Junction in a Toyota Hilux van and as defendant was turning

right from Thames Street into Mangawhero Terrace, he had lost control of the vehicle and ended up in the Mangawhero River. One of his passengers, Sharee Anne Drayton, was injured and had to be taken to Wanganui Hospital for medical attention. Defendant told the Court that he would pay the estimated $7,000-$10,000 reparation for the vehicle to the owner over a 2-year period, On the careless use charge he was convicted and fined $300, court costs $55. On the excess blood alcohol charge he was convicted and fined $250, court costs $55 and disqualified from driving for 15 months. Counsel: P. Brown. ★ ★★ A 27-year old Raetihi woman was to have faced a charge of assault using a weapon (a knife) on 10 October. However, because of the absence of legal counsel, she was remanded without plea to appear in the Ohakune District Court on Friday 12 February 1988. She was granted interim suppression of name. ★ ★★ A 39-year old Raetihi woman was to have faced a charge of assault on 10 December. However, because of the absence of legal counsel, she was remanded without plea to appear in the Ohakune District Court on Friday 12 February 1988. She was granted interim suppression of name. ★ ★★ A 27-year old Raetihi man who was granted further interim suppression of name re- appeared on one charge of sexual violation and one charge of indecent assault. He was further remanded without plea to appear in the Tauranga District Court on 3 February next year for the taking of depositions. Counsel: P. Brown. ★ ★★