Youth Had ‘disease’ For Taking Cars, Court... (Press, 26 May 1978)

In the Magistrate's Court on 25 May 1978, Hano Parakau Blake Green, a 17-year-old unemployed youth, pleaded guilty to stealing three cars and unlawfully taking three others in February at Titahi Bay and Porirua. The magistrate, Mr F. G. Paterson, remarked that Green appeared to have a “disease” regarding the act of taking vehicles. Detective Sergeant J. J. Chadderton reported that the stolen vehicles were subjected to attempts to siphon petrol and had items removed from them before being pushed over a cliff, resulting in all three cars being deemed write-offs. Green and an associate sold the stolen items, and compensation of $336 was sought in the case. His counsel, Mr M. J. Glue, informed the court that Green was currently undergoing detention centre training following a previous sentencing on 14 April for several vehicle-related charges. Green, who was due for release on 26 June, received a suspended sentence of 12 months on each new charge, with the magistrate stating, “an eye will be kept on you.” Another case involved a 22-year-old housewife, whose name was suppressed, facing 14 charges of theft for stealing clothing valued at $1,376. She was remanded on bail until 1 June for a probation report and sentencing. According to Detective Sergeant Chadderton, she had been seen acting suspiciously in a shop and later confessed to stealing items mainly for her family over two years due to her husband’s prolonged unemployment. In Christchurch, a 26-year-old unemployed man, James Paul Collins, was remanded until 22 June for depositions related to the alleged theft of 60 records worth $120 on 12 May. Phillip Michael Charles, another 17-year-old, admitted to six charges of false pretence, one of theft, and one of attempted burglary, for which he was sentenced to Borstal. He had presented stolen cheques in various shops, fraudulently obtaining cash and groceries worth $483. Though he had a record of dishonesty, the magistrate highlighted the alarming frequency of Charles' reoffending after a prior detention. A charge of frequenting a park with felonious intent was dismissed by Mr N. L. Bradford, S.M. The case involved a man who approached an undercover policeman in Beverley Park. The magistrate ruled that the prosecution failed to demonstrate the defendant was a suspect and that there was insufficient evidence to establish that he had visited the park repeatedly with felonious intent. The policeman admitted to having concerns about public behaviour but noted that others had not been charged after agreeing not to return. Lastly, David Wayne Marshall, a 21-year-old who stole $60 from co-workers at the N.Z.E.D. camp at Hanmer Springs, was convicted and fined $100, in addition to repaying $39 in witness expenses and contributing $60 to a workers' social fund. The magistrate opted for a financial punishment rather than imprisonment.

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