Man Convicted For Incident At Cricket (Press, 7 April 1989)

On 6 April 1989, Kellie Allen Anderson, a 34-year-old transsexual beneficiary, was found guilty in the District Court of assault and other charges stemming from a disruptive incident at Lancaster Park during a Wellington-Canterbury cricket match on January 7. The event was halted for ten minutes when Anderson took the wickets and threw them into the crowd. Specific charges included assaulting a patron, Craig Anthony Sheriff, and possessing a knife with the intention to use it. Judge Cadenhead announced the verdict following a defended hearing, and remanded Anderson on bail until April 20 for a probation report and sentencing. During the proceedings, Anderson, who claimed to have experienced harassment from other patrons, admitted to being heavily intoxicated, having consumed two bottles of vodka during the match. He stated that he did not remember the details of the incidents nor the arrest. Mr Sheriff described how, while watching the match with friends, the game was delayed when Anderson threw the wickets and later climbed the scoreboard to engage with the crowd. When Anderson approached Sheriff’s group with a knife and wine bottle, hurling abuse and inviting confrontation, Sheriff intervened, taking the knife from Anderson during a struggle, resulting in injuries to himself from the weapon. The knife, identified in court as a locking-blade knife, was taken from Anderson by Mr Sheriff, who sustained cuts on his hand, shoulder, and hip during the altercation. Anderson, in his testimony, distanced himself from throwing the wickets, stating he was only retrieving them, and insisted that the knife was a vegetable knife used for food preparation. He admitted he could have threatened patrons but did not recollect the specifics of his actions. The judge concluded that Anderson had the intent to cause harm, albeit while intoxicated. In a related drug case, a couple, Tania Janet Gillan and Philip Nicholas Raxworthy, faced charges of cultivating and possessing cannabis at Gillan's residence in Sydenham on February 19. Gillan, a 21-year-old solo mother, also admitted to permitting her premises to be used for cultivating the drug. Initially facing charges of possessing cannabis for sale or supply, this was negotiated down to simple possession on the police’s application. Upon police arrival, a cannabis plant around 1.5 metres high was discovered in the backyard, along with 14 ounces of cannabis leaf found in a bedroom drawer. The defendants claimed the cannabis was for personal use. They were remanded on bail until April 27 for sentencing and probation reviews.

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