News - Pakenham Officer - 27th August 2015

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Connecting people & communities PAKENHAM OFFICER Thursday, 27 August, 2015

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■ Intellectualy disabled ice-addict poses threat to society...

Public danger By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS AN intellectually-disabled man has been labelled a danger to the public after pleading guilty to a plethora of theft and driving offences including a terminated police pursuit and a drugdrive crash. Romulus Puni, 29, with an IQ below 70 and a chronic ice addiction, allegedly crashed a car on a median strip on the South Gippsland Highway, Cranbourne North in August 2013, a court was told on Monday (24 August). After being hospitalised, the Dandenong man was charged with driving while impaired by drugs, namely ice, driving while suspended and careless driving. He told police at the time he’d fallen asleep after being awake for the past 36 hours. In March 2014, Puni allegedly tried to evade a police car activating lights and sirens through Dandenong side streets. At one point he was observed turning into the deadend Ross Street at 75 km/h, causing police to terminate the pursuit, police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Richard Symmons told a court. Puni allegedly escaped on

foot through paddocks before police arrived at the vehicle, and denied any involvement during a police interview. He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving while pursued by police, failing to stop a vehicle by request and driving while suspended. In August 2014, he was charged with handling a stolen i-Phone 4s, which he told police he’d bought for two points of ‘shard’ or ice. He was also charged that month over the theft of a Noble Park fruit and vegetable business’s van, which he and a co-accused painted to hide the business’s decals. In October, he allegedly ran a red light in Henry Street Pakenham, was driving while disqualified, driving an unregistered vehicle and trailer and driving with false plates. Puni also pleaded guilty to two petrol drive-offs within minutes in different vehicles at an Officer servo in November; one of the vehicles had a stolen number plate. That day, he drove - while disqualified - to Pakenham police station to be interviewed for a separate matter. There, he was identified by the servo manager who was dropping off CCTV footage of

the thefts. In January, he was charged with speeding at 95 km/h in an 80km/h zone on Wellington Road Mulgrave. During the time of those offences, he was a disqualified or suspended driver. Puni was already in custody, having been recently jailed by the County Court for five years and four months - with a nonparole period of two years and nine months. Defence lawyer Nadine Daniel told the court on Monday that Puni wanted to resolve all the outstanding matters. She said her client had an acquired brain injury from a serious assault in 2013 as well as a pre-existing developmental disorder which made him prone to negative peer influence. The Samoan-born accused was raised by his uncle and aunt in New Zealand due to his mother using substances; his father was unknown. His Australian visa was “at risk” and would be “cancelled in due course”, Ms Daniel told the court. Puni was jailed for 12 months, of which eight months would be served concurrently with his County Court sentence.

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Livewire gets life membership PRESIDENT Alan Potter presented Hautrie Crick with a life membership to the Pakenham Senior Citizens club at their annual general meeting on Monday 24 August. Hautrie served as a Rat of Tobruk and has made significant contributions to the club. The club also welcomed its new committee at the meeting, which was attended by Councillor Graeme Moore. Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS

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