Detention After Robbery (Press, 1 March 1975)

A 17-year-old armed robber has been sentenced to nine months of periodic detention, followed by a year of probation, after stealing $300 from a shopkeeper while leaving about $1,700 behind. The sentencing took place on 25 February 1975 in the Wellington Supreme Court, where Mr Justice White expressed that the bizarre circumstances of the case warranted psychiatric examination for the offender. Typically, individuals convicted of aggravated robbery using a firearm face imprisonment, but in this instance, leniency was deemed appropriate. The youth had entered the home of a married couple who operated a dairy shop in Porirua late the previous year. At the time, they were preparing their takings for banking. Despite being armed with a rifle, the youth claimed it was unloaded and expressed that he did not intend to cause harm. He insisted on receiving $300, specifying that he needed it for a friend, even as the couple tried to dissuade him from committing the robbery. Following his arrest, the boy confessed to the crime. Additionally, the Sisters for Homophile Equality (S.H.E.) are set to host a national conference in Christchurch over the same weekend, with nearly 100 women expected to attend from various regions of New Zealand. The conference will focus on discussions surrounding lesbianism and the challenges faced in a hostile environment. A play called "Between the Eras," penned by New Zealander Alison Laurie, who currently resides in Denmark, will be performed by a group from Christchurch during the event.

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