TGIF Edition 3 April 09

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ISSN 1172-4153 |  Volume 2  |  Issue 32  |

Top judge prime suspect in car crime

|  3 April 2009

on the

INSIDE

By Ian Wishart

A top judge is under criminal investigation tonight after an incident in Auckland’s Brown’s Bay last week. TGIF Edition has learned the judge, with a long and distinguished career, was seen by witnesses vandalizing a car partially blocking a driveway by running a key along the paintwork. The incident happened outside the Flax Café, in front of a number of patrons of the restaurant. Auckland businessman Richard Cummins has told TGIF he’d parked his car in Beach Front Lane,outside the café,on Monday March 23rd,but hadn’t realized he was partially blocking an entrance to a building. He says he received a phone call from Browns Bay police whilst he was in a business meeting at 12:30 to advise his car was blocking a driveway and would be towed if he didn’t move it immediately. “I returned to the vehicle (tow truck was in attendance) and spoke with the Police officers present. I received the ticket and some notes on the windscreen (from disgruntled residents). “I then drove to my home in Forrest Hill to briefly collect some items. Upon returning to the car I noticed marks on the paintwork on the driver’s door then saw other similar marks on most other panels of the car. The marks had not been present prior to the vehicle was parked in Browns Bay. I concluded that they had been inflicted by some disgruntled apartment occupant that had been blocked by my car. “I immediately called back to the Police Officer that had rung me and advised him of the damage to the car.The officer advised that I could make a complaint at the local Police station. “Approx. 2 hours later I was contacted by the Police offering to come to my work and take a statement and take pictures of the damage. This was done the following day. In the meantime I contacted my insurance company, lodged a claim and took the

VACCINE DAMAGE   NZ girl injured   Page 3

CARBON COST   Up to $7,500 each   car to a local panelbeater for assessment. “When at the panelbeaters I was approached by one of the staff who was the driver of the tow truck at Browns Bay. He asked if I was making a complaint to Police and he said that the Police had taken details of a person at the scene that had been observed by a café patron inflicting some of the damage with a key. The alleged ‘Keyer’ was immediately approached by one of the officers and asked about the alleged damage.This person said ‘I would not do that- I am a Judge’. “Last Thursday I was contacted by the officer and advised that he had completed taking statements from the various witnesses and was handing the file over to ‘higher beings’ for a decision as to

whether charges would be laid.The name and title of the alleged offender was not divulged. He was confident that one of the witness accounts could verify some of the damage being inflicted by the suspect. He asked that car not be repaired until after a decision had been made as it may be necessary to have forensic experts compare the scratches and try to establish if they all could have been done with the same item etc,”Cummins told TGIF Edition. The newspaper has verified that Detective Sergeant Kim Libby at North Shore Police has the file, and a spokesman for the office of Attorney-General Chris Finlayson says they have not yet been formally advised by police that the judge is under investigation. The Judge involved is still serving on the bench.

Skateboarder slammed with $750 fine Wellington, April 3 – A Gisborne skateboarder is refusing to pay a $750 police fine for skating on an empty footpath. Skater Reuben Baker was riding his skateboard on a deserted CBD street when fined by a police highway patrol officer, the Gisborne Herald reported. “I don’t know of anyone else who has ever got a fine of $750 for skateboarding. Everyone I’ve spoken to thinks it’s ridiculous ,”Mr Baker said.

“He said to me, `I don’t want to give you this, but I have to.’ He didn’t have to, though – I can think of plenty of times where police have seen us skateboarding and have driven past.” Mr Baker is refusing to pay, saying the fine amount is excessive. “People who don’t restrain their children in car seats, or drink and drive get lower fines than this,” he said.

Council bylaws allow staff to issue warnings or fines up to $200, while police can fine skaters up to $750. Gisborne Sergeant Trent Higgs said very few of the large fines had been handed out. “Most of our actions are related to time, place and circumstances.The officer obviously believed it was appropriate at the time to issue the fine,”he said. – NZPA

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CRICKET TEST   Runneth over   Page 11


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