Blanket Man mystery solved

The mystery of Wellington icon Blanket Man's recent Blenheim excursion has been solved.

A friend of Blanket Man, Richard Hayden from Blenheim paid for his ticket on the Bluebridge ferry from Wellington to Picton in what is believed to be Blanket Man's, real name Ben Hana, first trip to the South Island.

Hayden was arrested for breaching his curfew shortly after the pair disembarked the vessel in Picton in the early hours of Thursday morning.

The pair were then brought to the Blenheim District Court where Hayden appeared for breaching bail.

While sitting outside the court house waiting for Mr Hayden, Blanket Man was arrested for cannabis possession, disorderly behaviour and failing to appear in the Wellington District Court on June 3.

Hana appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday and was remanded in custody to appear in the Wellington District Court on June 11.

A policeman made a special delivery of dark blue overalls for Hana, who prefers to wear only a blanket and loin cloth, to wear when he appeared before Justice of the Peace Julie McKendry.

Hana however opted to wear his blanket, but wore the overalls around his neck.

It is understood he may be flown back to Wellington.

BY SIMON WONG - The Marlborough Express

Last updated 14:15 04/06/2010

Clarence cannabis patch not so secret

A man who allegedly grew 74 cannabis plants near Clarence was busted after a member of the public stumbled across the patch, police say.

Constable Michelle Stagg, of Blenheim, said the plants were all about two metres high.

The person who found the plants had called police, she said.

A 43-year-old unemployed man was arrested at 10.30am yesterday and was remanded in custody to appear in Blenheim District Court today on a charge of cultivating cannabis.

In a separate incident, three women aged – 66, 53, and 31 – were arrested for smoking cannabis while parked near Alfred St in Blenheim at 8.20pm yesterday.

Miss Stagg said the oldest woman was charged with consuming cannabis, possession of cannabis and possession of prescription medicine and the 53-year-old was charged with consuming cannabis and allowing a car to be used for a cannabis offence.

The youngest woman was charged with consuming cannabis.

Also yesterday, a 45-year-old Blenheim woman was charged with assaulting police after she allegedly kicked a police officer in his shin.

Miss Stagg said the alleged assault happened after police were called to a Howick Rd house to remove a drunk woman just before 5pm.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 03/06/2010

Mother in drug case

A 35-year-old mother with a terminally ill child has pleaded guilty to burglary and supplying material to make methamphetamine.

Lavinia May Van Duin admitted the charges when she appeared before Judge Richard Russell in the Blenheim District Court on Monday.

She was remanded on bail for sentencing on August 17.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:01 02/06/2010

Booked for possession

It was one for the books when a Blenheim District Court jailer found cannabis resin in the spine of a thriller he had been asked to give a P supplier in the holding cells.

Constable Michelle Stagg of Blenheim said a man asked the jailer to give the book to Dallas Edward Oran Shave, who was being held in custody at the courthouse after admitting possession of methamphetamine for supply.

The book was actually two books in one: the thrillers Edge of Reason and Pay the Devil, by Jack Higgins.

The jailer found the resin during a routine check of items for prisoners, Miss Stagg said.

The resin was "reasonably obvious", she said.

A 59-year-old draughtsman was to appear in court today charged with possession of cannabis resin for supply.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 12:01 02/06/2010

Police believe 19 trips for P

A P dealer could have brought more than $650,000 worth of the drug to Blenheim during the past year, police say.

Sergeant Graham Single said police had estimated how much methamphetamine the dealer had brought to Blenheim based on the amount he was carrying when he was caught at Nelson Airport.

Dallas Edward Oran Shave, 29, admitted possessing, dealing and supplying methamphetamine (also known as P), possession of utensils for consuming methamphetamine and possession of cannabis, when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court.

Mr Single said in court that Shave had 25.1 grams of methamphetamine, with a street value of up to $31,000, in a sealed plastic bag in his vest pocket when he was arrested at Nelson Airport after a flight from Auckland on March 19.

If Shave had been carrying a similar amount each of the 19 times he had come back to Blenheim, he would have carried drugs with a total street value of $684,000, Mr Single said.

Police who searched Shave's luggage also found a glass pipe, a small quantity of cannabis head, two wallets with two different driver's licences and white residue in a glasses case.

Police had been tracking Shave since he was released from prison in June 2009. He had been visiting Auckland regularly to buy the drug from a well-known manufacturer, Mr Single said.

Shave was remanded in custody to July 20 for sentencing.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 01/06/2010

DNA test solves 2005 burglary crime

DNA testing of samples taken five years ago led to a Blenheim man confessing to a crime he did not remember committing because he was drunk.

Marlon William Watene, 35, labourer, admitted a burglary charge after DNA found at the scene of a burglary in Wellington five years ago was matched with his.

Watene also admitted breaching bail and breaching a public liquor ban when he appeared in the Blenheim District Court yesterday.

He was sentenced to four months' jail for burglary and one month for breaching bail, to be served concurrently, and was convicted and discharged for breaching the liquor ban.

Judge Richard Russell said Watene smashed a sensor in the service lane of a building in January 2005 and used a wheelie bin to get on to the roof.

He used a hammer to prise off part of the corrugated iron roof to get inside the Johnsonville Lotto and Gifts store, Judge Russell said.

An alarm went off, and Watene left blood on the roof while escaping.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 13:00 01/06/2010

Fatal crash charge laid

A young woman who allegedly fled a police check point and crashed into a car in Blenheim killing a woman has been charged.

The woman has been charged with causing the death of Penelope Rae Phillips, 51, while driving with excess blood alcohol. Police said the proportion of alcohol in her blood exceeded 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres of blood.

The Marlborough Express understands the woman charged is 20-year-old Frances Stubbs.

Stubbs was driving a car which collided with Ms Phillips' car on the roundabout between Nelson St and Hutcheson St in Blenheim about 9.45pm on Friday, March 19.

Detective Richard Rolton has previously said that before the crash the driver was stopped at a police checkpoint on Alfred St outside Blenheim School and breath-tested.

Police said she blew a positive result for alcohol and was asked to pull over for a second test, but she sped off. Mr Rolton said there was no police pursuit.

He said a police officer at the checkpoint got into his car to follow, but only saw her tail lights disappearing over the Taylor River Bridge as he turned into Hutcheson St.

He then saw steam rising ahead from the crash scene, Mr Rolton said.

Mr Rolton said this afternoon that a young woman had been summonsed to appear in Blenheim District Court on June 21 to face the charge.

The Marlborough Express

Last updated 17:50 01/06/2010