POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 62, 13 March 1919, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before Messrs. J. Stitchbury, BL ML Smeeton, and E. Smith, J.P.'s.) DRUNKENNESS. Two first offenders were fined 5/ each, one forfeited bail, and one was convicted and discharged. William Barker (74), who made his third appearance this new , year, and his 60th altogether, was fined 20/, in default 48 hours' imprisonment. ' William Jas. Martin (43), who hid been released from Kotoroa Island yesterday on condition that he took out * prohibition order against himself and observed its took the order out all right, but straightway went and gofc drunk and arrested. He was remanded for a week to enable formalities for sending him back to the island to be pat through. Daniel Barton (24), who had nsed obscene language when he was drunk in. Customs Street, was a soldier returned . after three years' service, and he ■ wat - fined £5. WHAT WAS SAID BY DAT. Sydney Day was charged that on. February 19 he permitted a horse to wander at large on the Panmure road, and oil Feb. 23 he used obscene language' in a. public place. Robert Tyndall, ranger for the Ellerslie Town Board, stated that on. February 19 he found a horse wandering in Panmure Road, and impounded it. It was a horse which was used and worked by the defendant Day in his butchery business. On February 23 lie went to Ellerslie, and while he was talking tv some shopkeepers he noticed defendant making some "bleating" noises at witness from his shop, but took TO ~T notice. When witness moved away to drive on, defendant came from the shop and used obscene language to witness. Defendant said the horse belonged te his wife, and there "was friction between himself and the ranger because the latter drove other people's stray animals to the owner's place and collected a, driving fee, and put defendant to special inconvenience by treating his horse differently; ; and sending it to the pound. He ad-"4 in it ted that he .used certain language, different from that in the charge, which".: he held to be abusive, but not obscene. . And he meant what he said. Defendant was fined £3 and £3,6/ costs. (Before Mr. J. E. Wilson, S.M.) - PAINFULLY HOSPITABLE. . Joseph Sullivan (42) admitted being drunk in Osborne Street last night, and i having used obscene language. He Sad • gone along the street at Hewmarket : with a bottle of liquor in his hand, and : offered it to all and sundry to have »| drink. When by-passers declined hie invitation he saluted them with c volley of filthy language. This became so dis- ; tressing to ■women on the street, that.- ; the police were informed of the matter.: Sullivan was sentenced to fourteen days' hard labour. •. ALL A CJUESTION OF CAKE. "I didn't supply a firearm; I boughfc him a toy at Christmas time," stated Catherine Tercel when charged tuatim" December she supplied a firtarift , "ie Patrick Tercel, a boy under 16|yearr©£; age. The lady, in making the statement, -> produced the alleged "firearm," wnjek proved to be an air-gun which had ;b*f* ■ her Christmas present to her son. "Is that a firearm?" inquired fcii Worship of Senior-Sergeant MeSfaaiaiß. The Senior-Sergeant produced seetiom -= 26 of the Police Offences Act, which dcv scribed a "firearm" under the Act, .*■*";. stated, in addition to other things, *\ 'firearm" was a "gun or pistol of lesa -;.;. than .303 calibre that acts by any force other than gunpowder." That definition, Mr. McNamara said, fitea an air-gun, bjsfc the police did not go round looking for boys with air-guns. In this case . neighbours of defendant had complained of pellets of shot going through their windows, and a policeman made eftquiries, with the result that the only a gun he could find in the vicinity was the air-gun owned by defendant's eon, a lad under IC. His Worship remarked that even a* air-gun was capable of being dangerous when handled by a person who was careless, and the defendant wae ! ordered to pay 9/ costs. KISCEIXANEOUS. i Thomas Helme (50), for vagrancy and . i breaches of his prohibition order, wm sentenced to three months' lv.rd labour. Albert Jas. Roycroft, for driving * motor past a standing tramcar at th«.~ Wellesley-Qucen Street corner at more than five miles an hour, was fined 40/, and 11/ costs. Arthur J. Davy, for permitting a horse to wander in New North ■ Road, was fined 5/, and 9/ costs. Robert Taylor, for failing to sound warning of the approach of his motor to the Queea and Wakefield Streets intersection, was fined 5/, and 9/ costs. Fritz G. Jaekeon, for leaving a motor car unattended for more than an hour in Fhortland Street* was fined 5/, and 9/ costs. For driving on the road at "Mt. Rcskill at night without lights, Reginald Barker was fined 5/, and 9/ costs. Charles Anderson, master of the schooner Hauoui, had to pay -8/ casts for permitting an unlicensed aUea to worlc on the ship. '. 3 Frank Pithie (36), for disobedience ,et j a maintenance order respecting his wife*. -; was sentenced to three months' iroprwoe.; ;-, ment, the warrant to be suspended-** long as he pays £5 a month «>***»• % arrears in addition to the current weetiy - P XbTrt Armstrong, for : ; horse by beating it on t"ad_ <"» • stick, was fined £3 and lEtf e°<«y