POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLIV, Issue 102, 30 April 1913, Page 6

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr E. C. Cutten, S3L) DRTJNKRK-ESS. Of nine first offenders, six were first offenders of varying sorts, and their penalties ranged from a fine of 5/- to forfeiture of bail. John White and George Henry Cain, who had indulged in private celebration of the arrival of the warship, though they were prohibited, had to pay £2 each. A MOTOR CAR THAT BOLTED. Edward Bailey (49) was charged that on Tuesday night he was drunk in Albert Street, and that he wilfully did about £40 worth of damage to- a motor ear owned by Charles Gardener. The story of the incident was told by Walter Taylor, who was pushing bis wife in an invalid chair along the street opposite tbe Star Hotel. He was about to cross to the Star Hotel side of the street when bis attention was attracted by a drunken man who shouted "Chauffeur!" into the lobby of the hotel. He said be saw the man then go to a motor car standing outside the hotel and release the brakes of the ear, which, propelled by its own weight, bolted downhill and crashed into the entrance of the building of the Waitemata' Fruitgrowers' Association about 100 yards away. Taylor said he saw a constable come up from Wynd- | ham Street and talk to Bailey at the Star Hotel, and then" go on to the scene of the accident. He followed up, keeping his eye on Bailey (who also followed), and when the constable turned and told Bailey to get away home as he was drunk, he told the constable not to send Bailey away as he was the man who had done the damage. The witness, though closely cross-questioned by Mr W. Hackett on Bailey's behalf, stuck decidedly to his story, and emphatically reiterated that he kneft- Bailey by sight and that Bailey was the man. Gardener said that in addition to the brakes being locked, the engine was reversed, so that two levers would have bad to be tampered with to release the car. Bailey denied absolutely that he touched the car and that he was drunk, and his counsel submitted that in the darkness of the night (at G. 30 p.m.) the witness Taylor could not identify any man across the street with certainty. * The magistrate said that he had not the slightest doubt about the facts of the case, and it was one so serious that whether the man who did it was drunk or not, he would send him to prison. The matter, however, was an indictable one (the damage being over £5), and he could not deal with it summarily. It would have to stand over till Friday morning to enable the police to proceed with it as an indictable offence. DEFENCE DEFAULTERS. Territorials who had failed to attend parades were fined as follows:—F. H. Pearce. H. O. Carson, F. Hines, A. P. Kav. and G. E. Hurle, £5 each and costs; Wm. Law. £2; Geo. Batty, H. S. B. Bruford. H. D. Williams, H. W. Williamson, G. Herring, S. E. Moore, H. Oates, W. Moseland. and S. E. Swinhurn, £1 each; S. M. Hines and H. T. Wood, 10/ each; M. Dean, 5/; and E. I_wton, 7/ costs. MISCELLANEOUS. John James Smith (25), on a charge of vagrancy, was sentenced to three months'" hard labour. John Summers, for leaving a motor car an unreasonable time unattended on —c street, was fined 10/ and costs.