ALLOWANCE MADE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 54, Issue 93, 30 January 1934, Page 3

ALLOWANCE MADE.

LIQUOR AFTER HOURS. OFFENCE ON CHRISTMAS EVE. (Special to the " Gut*rdian.") GIBBORNE, January 29. Holding that some allowance should be made on an occasion such as Christmas Eve, Mr E.*L. Walton, S.M., declined to impose .penalties on a number of defendants who appeared on charges of being on licensed premises after hours. The men who had purchased liquor, and also the licensee and the barman of one hotel, were convicted and discharged, while a charge against a second licensee was dismissed as trivial in view of the fact that/defendant had an unbroken record of forty years as a licensee, without a conviction being recorded against him. The charges arose out of raids made on December 23, which was observed as Christmas Eve, the facts in all cases being admitted. Counsel for defendants said that, as long as he could remember, the police in Gisborne had allowed a little latitude on Christmas Eve. Without commenting further, the Magistrate remarked that, in view of the special circumstances, defendants would be convicted and discharged. When an application was made for suppression of names, the Magistrate said that ho did not think that any stigma attached to being in an hotel on Christmas Eve. Dealino- with the case of one publican counsel stated that defendant had been actively connected with the hotel business for forty years, and had never been charged with even . the most trivial offence; or had an adverse police report. The Magistrate remarked that that argument would not apply under ordinary circumstances, but, seeing that the offence had been committed on a festive occasion, he would use his discretionary power and dismiss the information.