The Courts Assaults Admitted On Prison Officer (Press, 19 October 1979)

On 19 October 1979, several legal proceedings were reported following appearances in the Magistrate's Court. Larry Mathew Collier, 24, was remanded in custody until 25 October for a probation report and sentencing after admitting to assaulting a prison officer on two occasions on 23 September. Collier, a painter, returned to Rolleston Prison from a weekend parole and was confronted by officer James Simpson Solotti, who suspected him of having been drinking, a violation of his parole conditions. Collier refused a breath test and assaulted the officer, causing abrasions to his eye, and later struck him again with a plastic beaker while being escorted to his cell. Additionally, two men, Desmond Dennis Carrington, 48, and Lewis Robert Chalmers, 20, faced charges for allegedly selling three cannabis plants to an undercover officer on 6 October. They denied the charges and were remanded to 14 December for a defended hearing. Carrington was granted bail of $2,250 under the condition that he report daily to the police, while Chalmers was granted bail of $1,500. Carrington also faced an additional charge of possessing an imitation firearm at the time of the cannabis sale. Pou Sauaga, 25, was charged with intent to defraud for presenting a false cheque for $5,400 as a deposit on a $9,000 car. He was remanded in custody without plea until 25 October. In another case, Sonny Tangi, 18, was accused of forging a bank signature card with a bond of $3,000 set and also remanded until 25 October. The court declined his request for suppression of name. A 47-year-old businessman from Christchurch was fined $300 for committing an indecent act on another man, which he attributed to a drunken indiscretion. The court had previously allowed suppression of his name, and the Magistrate labelled the act grossly indecent. Raymond Vincent Croxon, 20, was sentenced to six months of periodic detention for fraud and making a false statement after he falsely claimed his motorcycle was stolen to obtain $775 from an insurance company. The Magistrate noted Croxon had already repaid the money and warned him about the seriousness of his actions. Lastly, the Linfield College Students' Association was charged with publishing an indecent document, “Ram” magazine, for sale or distribution on or about 16 March. The case was adjourned to 13 December for a defended hearing, where the police must prove a prima facie case under the Indecent Publications Act. The defence argued that the matter should be referred to the Indecent Publications Tribunal for proper consideration.

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