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Mother who had sex with boy fights for name supression
Friday, 16 January 2009
A Christchurch mother-of-two is continuing her fight to keep her name out of the media after admitting having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
Judge Stephen Erber refused to continue the suppression order when the woman pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court today.
But defence counsel Gilly Ferguson said there would be an immediate appeal to the High Court for continued suppression.
"The school term is about to go back," Mrs Ferguson said.
She said the 35-year-old woman did not seek suppression for herself but for her two daughters, aged 10 and 15."
However, Judge Erber refused interim suppression.
"It would be foolish to think that if her name is published her daughters would not be subjected to jokes and very cruel remarks.
"This offence carries 10 years imprisonment. Had the defendant been a male and the complainant female, I doubt very much suppression would have been granted no matter what the circumstances. It is not a minor matter.
Once the papers were filed, the name would remain suppressed until the appeal was heard in the High Court."
But because the appeal was being filed, he granted suppression until 5pm on Monday to allow the application to be lodged with the court. They could point to significant mental health issues, and there could be drug and alcohol problems.
At an earlier appearance, Mrs Ferguson said she was seeking medical reports on the woman.
She also said the woman had been told that because of the sensitive nature of her work, her employers could dismiss her if their name became public knowledge.
She also said the woman had been told that because of the sensitive nature of her work, her employers could dismiss her if their name became public knowledge. They then had sex.
Police prosecutor Al Manco said the woman had been at a Linwood address with the boy on an evening when they had alcohol and the party pills, benzylpiperazine (BZP). .
"The defendant was spoken to in October and admitted having sex with the boy.
Since the offence, she had sought help for alcohol dependency, he said.
She said the boy had helped himself to the BZP tablets and had initiated the sex.
He said he would not seek the report that would allow her to be granted home detention or community detention.
Judge Erber remanded the woman to March 6 for a pre-sentence report, a victim impact report, and sentence.
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Mother who had sex with boy fights for name supression
Friday, 16 January 2009
A Christchurch mother-of-two is continuing her fight to keep her name out of the media after admitting having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
Judge Stephen Erber refused to continue the suppression order when the woman pleaded guilty in Christchurch District Court today.
But defence counsel Gilly Ferguson said there would be an immediate appeal to the High Court for continued suppression.
"The school term is about to go back," Mrs Ferguson said.
She said the 35-year-old woman did not seek suppression for herself but for her two daughters, aged 10 and 15."
However, Judge Erber refused interim suppression.
"It would be foolish to think that if her name is published her daughters would not be subjected to jokes and very cruel remarks.
"This offence carries 10 years imprisonment. Had the defendant been a male and the complainant female, I doubt very much suppression would have been granted no matter what the circumstances. It is not a minor matter.
Once the papers were filed, the name would remain suppressed until the appeal was heard in the High Court."
But because the appeal was being filed, he granted suppression until 5pm on Monday to allow the application to be lodged with the court. They could point to significant mental health issues, and there could be drug and alcohol problems.
At an earlier appearance, Mrs Ferguson said she was seeking medical reports on the woman.
She also said the woman had been told that because of the sensitive nature of her work, her employers could dismiss her if their name became public knowledge.
She also said the woman had been told that because of the sensitive nature of her work, her employers could dismiss her if their name became public knowledge. They then had sex.
Police prosecutor Al Manco said the woman had been at a Linwood address with the boy on an evening when they had alcohol and the party pills, benzylpiperazine (BZP). .
"The defendant was spoken to in October and admitted having sex with the boy.
Since the offence, she had sought help for alcohol dependency, he said.
She said the boy had helped himself to the BZP tablets and had initiated the sex.
He said he would not seek the report that would allow her to be granted home detention or community detention.
Judge Erber remanded the woman to March 6 for a pre-sentence report, a victim impact report, and sentence.
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230ha Southland pine forest destroyed by fire
Southland Tuesday, 30 December 2008
A huge plume of smoke could be seen from Invercargill and across Southland as a massive fire raged through a Waimahaka pine plantation and into conservation land last night. .
Fanned by north-west winds, the fire quickly ripped through the plantation, which spreads over several properties, while a secondary front burned against the wind into a 300ha Department of Conservation wetland reserve, so far destroying about 50ha. Most of the helicopters were expected to return to the scene at first light today.
Southern Rural Fire District principal rural fire officer Mike Grant said five monsoon helicopters were mobilised to fight the blaze, while an extra helicopter was deployed as an aerial platform, directing the other choppers.
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Police probe mobility scooter death
Saturday, 25 October 2008
An elderly woman whose mobility scooter was hit by a car on a busy Christchurch road has died in Christchurch Hospital.
The daughter of Mavis Murphy, 77, said her mother was sensible about traffic, having lost a child in a road accident.50am on Tuesday.
Murphy's scooter was hit in Clarence Street, Riccarton, about 10.
Police are appealing for witnesses as they consider laying charges against the driver involved. She suffered a broken pelvis, broken leg, internal bleeding and other injuries, and died on Wednesday night.
She was "really sensible" about traffic because she had lost her five-year-old son in a road-crossing accident.
Murphy's daughter, Sue Gorton, said yesterday her mother was a scooter rider for several years.
"She was crossing the road in the best place to cross for that trip.
Murphy was going to her doctor when the accident happened, Gorton said. She would have made that trip so many times," Gorton said. She wasn't doing anything silly."
Police said a car stopped for Murphy as she set out from the footpath, but another coming in the other direction struck her further across the road.
"If I was with mum at that time, if I'd been making the journey with her, I would have been quite happy to do exactly the same thing.
Constable Peter Carrington, of the Hornby police, said he was concerned.
Gorton said the family wanted answers, and urged the witnesses to the accident to assist police. It's a road known to be busy. .
He asked people who witnessed the accident to contact police on 344 1800. There could be fault on both sides, but really she was there to be seen," he said. She had some health problems and depended on her scooter to get around, Gorton said.
Murphy was a mother of seven and a keen painter, writer and gardener.
"This is probably the worst thing I've ever had to cope with and I've had to cope with death before.
Her extended family, which includes several grandchildren and some great-grandchildren, are gathering for the funeral, although the date has not been set.
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