Magistrate's Court Confidence Man Gaoled For Three... (Press, 13 March 1971)

On 12 March 1971, the Magistrate's Court witnessed the sentencing of John Jordan William Cross, who received a three-year prison term for a series of crimes including theft, false pretences, and unlawful car conversion, among other charges. Cross, aged 31, had presented himself as a Samoan prince and claimed to be the son of the Samoan ambassador to Australia. His criminal activities spanned Auckland, Hamilton, Te Awamutu, Kawakawa, Wellington, and Christchurch, involving stolen goods worth $7,711. The presiding magistrate, Mr K. H. J. Headifen, highlighted Cross’s enduring pattern of dishonesty and psychological issues through extensive criminal behaviour, which included previous prison sentences. In another case, 17-year-old Murray Graham Dick was sentenced to detention-centre training and disqualified from driving for 18 months for multiple driving offenses and vehicle theft. Regarding burglary, 29-year-old Graham Desmond Johnstone had his sentencing deferred for a year, with the magistrate taking into account his restitution for stolen property and past clean record. Kenneth Tyson, a 38-year-old seaman, was convicted for assaulting a police officer and resisting arrest but had charges against him for threatening his wife dropped when she opted not to testify. His case was postponed for a medical evaluation regarding potential work-centre training. Also in court, a young man, whose identity was suppressed, was remanded on bail after stealing six radios while delivering freight. George Patrick Shannon, aged 32, admitted to unlawfully taking a car from a hospital car park and would face sentencing on 19 March. Two men, Rangi Reeves and Peter Claude Tairua, aged 20 and 23, respectively, were also remanded for unlawfully taking four cars. Rex Douglas Turner, a 23-year-old barman, pleaded guilty to burglary and failing to report to police while on bail, with his case remanded for a hearing. Brian William Giles, 39, was remanded for forgery after stealing cheques from a parked car which he later used to obtain goods fraudulently. Stephen Michael Donoghue, aged 28, was convicted for being found without lawful excuse in a private commercial yard, and Allen Richard Swanson, aged 25, pleaded guilty to trailer theft, both remanded for sentencing on 19 March. Additionally, a man was remanded for prowling charges, while several defendants faced fines for various driving and minor offences. In the case against Jeffrey William Johnston, his charge of refusing to provide a blood sample was dismissed due to lack of evidence regarding erratic driving. Michael William O’Donnell, aged 18, was fined for driving under the influence, receiving a fine of $125 with an 18-month disqualification. Finally, the court also addressed a unique case involving a defendant from Christchurch allegedly connected to a car theft in Western Australia in 1969, which has been postponed pending further health assessment. The defendant, bedridden from a past accident, maintained his innocence regarding the charges.

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