Warrant issued
A BENCH warrant was issued for Buddy Crawford Kawhena who failed to appear in Te Kūiti District Court last week to answer charges of unlawfully possessing a firearm, unlawful hunting and assault on a family member.
Bong handover
When police stopped forbidden driver Toki Ranier Takerei in Benneydale on May 13, he handed them a bong.
A search of the vehicle found 137 grams of cannabis and a .22 rifle, which he told police he had bought to hunt food for his family.
Takerei pleaded guilty to driving while forbidden, possessing cannabis and illegally possessing the rifle.
Counsel Joe Hamblett said Takerei had problems dealing with groups of people.
Judge Paul Geohegan called for a pre-sentence report with a view to sentencing Takerei to home detention.
He was convicted of the charges and remanded on bail to appear for sentencing on July 28.
Home detention for recidivist drink driver
The judge disagreed with a claim by James Tracey McGahn that his drinking and driving in Te Kūiti on December 9 was “a mistake”.
“It was not a mistake, it was a deliberate decision made by you to drive a motor vehicle after you had been drinking,” he told the 65-year-old Te Kūiti resident.
McGahn was stopped by police on Ward St at 11.41am with a breath alcohol level of 970 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 250mcg.
Judge Geohegan said this was a high rate, particularly at 11.41am.
McGahn had seven previous drink drive convictions between 1979 and 2016.
“To your credit there has been a gap of six years since the last offending,” Judge Geohegan said
He disqualified McGahn from driving for 18 months, and sentenced him to five months and one week home detention
Not guilty pleas entered
TWO people charged with possessing an offensive weapon, threatening to kill or commit grievous bodily harm were remanded to appear in the Youth Court alongside a youth charged from the same incident.
Titi Kiwi Joseph pleaded not guilty through counsel Andrea Jones, to shoplifting, possessing an offensive weapon and threatening to kill.
Rena Knapp also entered not guilty pleas to possessing an offensive weapon and threatening to kill.
They were both remanded on bail to appear in the Youth Court at Te Kūiti on June 26.
‘It’s not her first rodeo’ – judge
MOANA Marie Waka pleaded guilty to obtaining $450 by deception in a social media scam.
The victim was induced to pay the money to Waka on May 15, but balked at paying another $550, and instead went to police.
Judge Geohegan convicted Waka and ordered her to pay reparation at $10 a week.
The court heard the victim was sucked into the scam after receiving messages on Facebook.
They were told a payment of $450 was required to free up a larger pay-off.
After the amount was paid, the scammer requested a further payment.
“What I’m hearing is not a lot of remorse here but someone who thinks she’s the victim in all this … It’s not her first rodeo,” the judge said.
He convicted Waka and sentenced her to 40 hours of community work and ordered her to pay $450 reparation at $10 a week.
