POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 70, 23 March 1915, Page 3

POLICE COURT.

I (Before Mr. E. C. Cutten. S.M.). DRUNKENNESS. Three first offenders were fined 5/ each, and one forfeited bail. Harriet Kelly (04), who had pot drunk when prohibited, was fined 40/. in default eeven days' imprisonment. Daniel South (35), who had assaulted Constable Grioben when arrested for drunkenness, and liad bitten one of the constable's fingers very severely, was sentenced to a. month's hard labour. A FOOL AND HIS MONET. " I thought, perhape. if I -was brought up as a vag., I would set sent away to the country," stated George BenfcJl (55), who admitted being an idle and disorderly person without means, and stated that he had come to town about a fortnight ago with £40 or £50. and had spent it all. Senior-vSergt. Rutlpdge stated that the man had been hanging round the hotels in Hobson Street for some days, and associating with persons of bad fame. Benfell was convicted and" ordered to come up for sentence when called on, with a warning that if he continued to hang about the city he would be brought up and sentenced. * NEEDED SHAKING UP. "A man who required to be "saved from himself," stated Chief-Detective McMahon of Ernest W. Munton (44), who admitted having obtained £'2 from Joseph Sayegh, £1 from Cecilia Massey, and £3 from Horace G. Jones by means lof valueless cheques. The man, continued the detective, was a barrister and solicitor, but sinc c his arrival in New Zealand had gone down Jiill very quickly on account of drink. He understood also that Munton partook of drugs, and he had been going from boardinghouse to boardinghouee, victimising many people. Mr. \Y. Craeroft Wilson, for accused, stated that Munton had I>een one of the most able journalist* that had ever been in Xew Zealand, but had a wife who was anything but a source of joy to him, and had had to take divorce proceedings against her, and he had taken the matter very much to heart. Counsel explained Munton's expectations under a will, and the difficulty that had been experienced by accused in getting the us e of the money, stating that his treatment in 'this respect, together with the position respecting his wife and children, had taken the heart out of him, and unfitted his mind for his work, and probably been responsible for his indulging occasionally in drink. Counsel suggested that the shook of the present proceedings was snfficient to buck up the accused. His Worship stated that, in Ms opinion, accused needed a considerable shaking up. For an offence such as Munton wag charged with, the accused might he convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if it had been the result of a bout of drinking; but the evidence showed rather that it had resulted from a course of drinking, and the state of mind he had allowed himself to get down to. He would be convicted and sentenced to eighteen months' reformative treatment, and his release before that time would depend on his own conduct. DYNAMITED FISH. The evidence in the' charge, against Albert Reid, fisherman, that on February 16, at the Great Barrier, he dynamited fish, \ras on the lines of the statement made by Mr. Selwyn Maye for the prosecution (reported yesterday). Inspector Bennett and another watcher from the land had seen a big splash dose to- Reid's launch, near the Pigeons, and on going out to the launch had found Reid cleaning fish that bore no hook or net marks, and had signs of having been killed by violence, but, they found no explosive on the boat. Reid denied the charge, and declared the fish had been caught by the "dummy" hook, which he eaid left no mark in the mouth of the fish. The internal effusion of blood in the fish he explained by stating that some of them had been struck by a stick because they were flapping in the boat. The one fish picked up floating in the water near the launch, he stated, had fallen overboard. His Worship stated that he had no hesitation in accepting the story of th« prosecution, and he convicted defendant, and fined him £10 and £6 5/ coeta. Two months were allowed in which to ■pay the fine. MISCELLANEOUS. A maintenance order against John Barton was increased to 10/ a -week; while a. similar order against Ghae. J. -Borland (.respecting his .wife in a mental hospital) wee reduced to 5/ a -week; and an order againet Richard Hall, requiring him .a contribute .to the maintenance of hie wife at a mental hospital, was cancelled, and the arrears remitted. Ear failing to comply with a maintenance order relating to hie wife, Wm. N. Cowley was sentenced to fourteen days' imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended for a week. Henry J. Simmonde, for failure to comply with a maintenance order respecting his wife, was sentenced to three weeks' imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended lor a week. Nathan Hanreeh (50), charged that he etoJe a bicycle at iWanganui in October I last, was remanded for a week.