News 4
Ashburton Guardian
www.guardianonline.co.nz
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
■■ASHBURTON DISTRICT COURT
Forged signatures used to get pills A man who forged two different doctors’ signatures to get erectile dysfunction medicine that had been seized by Customs and MedSafe has pleaded guilty to two charges of forgery (not a cheque) to obtain under $500. Hamish John Sawers appeared before Judge Joanna Maze in the Ashburton District Court on Monday and entered two guilty pleas to the charges. The summary of facts says that on November 22, 2018, Customs intercepted a package addressed to Sawers, and was found to contain 50 Cenforce-100 Senafil 100mg capsules. As a result of this, MedSafe were advised and sent Sawers a letter and form, advising him if they were to release the medication, he would need to have the form filled out by a New Zealand doctor. On December 3, 2018, MedSafe received a completed form in hard copy signed by a local Alexandra doctor, authorising the release of the medication. As a result of this, MedSafe contacted the doctor concerned and found that the doctor had not seen Sawers since January 2018 and then only as a visiting patient. The doctor also advised he had not signed any form and did not prescribe Senafil, and when shown the form, confirmed the signature was not his. As a result of this, further enquiries were carried out and it was found that on June 22, 2017, a similar parcel had been intercepted by Customs. On this occasion it contained 40 Procalis 20 plus Tadalafil 20mg tablets. A form was sent to Sawers’ doctor to authorise the release of this medication and they received that completed form on June 28, 2017.
cannabis utensils. He was remanded in custody to appear on March 30 for sentencing.
This doctor also confirmed they had not completed the form and that the signature was not theirs. Both doctors were local in Alexandra, but worked at different practices. Sawers declined to make any comment to police. He was remanded on bail by Judge Maze to appear in the Ashburton District Court on March 30 for sentencing. A man who stupefied and raped a woman in Rakaia last year has pleaded guilty in the Ashburton District Court. The man, who has name suppression, appeared before Judge Maze and admitted to stupefying or rendering the woman unconscious, before raping her. He was remanded in custody to appear of sentencing on March 30.
A man has pleaded guilty to burgling his former employers when he appeared in court on Monday. The man, who was granted interim name suppression by Judge Maze, was made redundant by his employer. He failed to return a key to work premises, and used the key to open the gate before driving round the side of a building and gaining access to the building. He grabbed a box of disposable gloves and other items until he was disturbed by a worker. He attempted to hide behind a machine, but was discovered. He told police that he had been attempting to steal disposable gloves. The man was remanded on bail for sentencing. Robert William Cropp plead-
ed guilty to assault with intent to injure following an incident where he repeatedly punched and kicked the victim. Police prosecutor Toaiva Hitila read the summary of facts to the court, saying that Cropp punched the victim in the stomach which forced her to hunch over and he continued to punch her, this time in the head. He grabbed her, forcing her to fall to the ground where he stomped on her twice and kicked her. The victim was left with bruises and abrasions on her head and arms. When spoken to by police he denied assaulting the victim. This offending occurred while Cropp was serving a sentence of intensive supervision for a number of charges including burglary and possession of cannabis and
A man who was heavily intoxicated and forced his way in to a former partner’s home before assaulting her has been sentenced to 18 months’ intensive supervision. Francis Micheal Terry appeared for sentencing after pleading guilty to one charge of wounding with intent to injure with reckless disregard last year. The summary of facts said that he arrived at the address heavily intoxicated and forced his way into the home when the victim answered the door before heading to her bedroom where the assault started, including repeated punches to the victim’s head. She was able to free herself by kicking Terry and fled out of the property on to Chalmers Avenue where a member of the public stopped and Terry decamped on his bicycle. The court heard from Terry’s lawyer that he was incredibly remorseful for what he had done and that he had taken it upon himself to seek out clinical help for his alcohol issues and had stopped drinking. Judge Maze said he should view this as an opportunity to make sure he does not repeat his offending and that no woman should feel threatened by his actions again. He was sentenced to 18 months’ intensive supervision and ordered to pay an emotional harm reparation of $1000. Judge Maze also warned him that this was his first strike under the three strikes legislation, and made a protection order involving Terry and the complainant.
■■HIGH COURT CHRISTCHURCH
Jury warned drug debt case ‘like a Tarantino film’ By Kurt Bayer NZME
The case of a Kings Cobra gang member allegedly murdered over a purported $40,000 drug debt will sound like a Tarantino film, a jury was warned yesterday. Alistair Cochrane and Daniel French deny murdering 28-yearold Luke Sears during a roadside confrontation in rural Canterbury on October 13, 2018. The Crown outlined its case against Cochrane, 26, and French, 36, in its opening address of a three-week jury trial starting at the High Court in Christchurch yesterday. It’s alleged that French was behind a large-scale cannabis growing operation at his Telegraph Road property at Charing Cross in Selwyn. For about a year, French had been in a “business relationship” with King Cobras gang member Sears who bought cannabis from him, Crown prosecutor Mitchell
McClenaghan told the jury. But in the days leading up to Sears’ death, the pair had suffered a falling out over alleged monies owed. Sears was trying to collect a debt of $40,000 that he believed French owed the gang, the court heard. But French reckoned the gang actually owed him $20,000. On October 12, 2018, Sears and an associate went to a pet food business run by French to try and recoup the cash. A heated exchange ensued, during which a shotgun was allegedly produced. Sears and his associate took off but soon returned – this time allegedly with a pistol, demanding payment. French was punched in the face and the police were called, the court heard. It’s understood that as a result of that day’s exchanges, Sears ramped up the debt.
The next day, French took Cochrane, who he employed for manual labour at the pet shop, with him to his house for a firewood job. Cochrane took a loaded shotgun in a bag with him, the Crown alleges. As they drove along Telegraph Road, near French’s house, they drove past Sears and his girlfriend travelling the other way. Both vehicles stopped on opposite sides of the road. French and Sears got into a physical confrontation when Cochrane came out with the shotgun and pointed it at Sears, the Crown says. Sears allegedly walked towards Cochrane and asked what he was going to do with the gun. The court heard that Cochrane retreated to his vehicle. Sears followed and tried to take the keys out of the ignition, saying they weren’t going anywhere. The Crown says that Cochrane,
who was holding the shotgun through the door, then shot Sears in the chest and shoulder region, sending him staggering back to the road. Cochrane and French are accused of driving off as Sears’ girlfriend flagged down passing members of the public who tried to help. Sears died soon afterwards on the grass verge as a result of damage to his vital organs. Cochrane actively avoided police for a number of days afterwards before he handed himself in. He allegedly told a friend and church minister that he had shot Sears but that the gun had gone off accidentally. Police later raided the Christchurch house of Tereina Delia Sullivan where Cochrane had been living and allegedly found four guns under a manhole in the floor. Sullivan now faces firearms and obstructing the
course of justice charges. Cochrane’s defence counsel Kerry Cook told the jury that “death was not on his mind” that day. A “clumsy and simple” Cochrane had only stepped in to stop Sears “giving French a hiding”. He acted to defend French and himself from an intimidating and fearsome gang member, Cook said. It was only when he was trying to leave the scene and when Sears reached for the keys that the shotgun went off. Cook urged the jury to put themselves in Cochrane’s shoes during what was an “extremely fraught and stressful situation” that unfolded quickly. He warned the jury that some of the evidence is “going to be like a Tarantino film”, with guns and gang members. The trial, before Justice David Gendall, continues.
