POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 75, 28 March 1919, Page 3

POLICE COURT.

« (Before Mr. J.. JE. Wilson, S.H.) • DRUNKENNESS. Of five first offenders for drunkenness, three were convicted and discharged, and two each forfeited 10/ bail. VIOLENT LARRIKINISM. Three young mcn —little more than youths—Thomas Herbert King, Noble Sanford, and Baden Chitty, were up for blackguardism of a pronounced and violent type in Ponsonby Road last night. Sub-Inspector Wohlmann, in outlining the circumstances, explained that three young ladies and an escort of two young men iwert proceeding along the Ponsonby Koad after spending the evening at a party, when the accused and two or three other young men accosted them, and after using some filthy language and singing obscene 6ongs, first hustled the wayfarers and then struck the two male escorts, while King brutally struck one of the young women in the back. The girls ran to the police station for help and when it arrived some of the assailants had run away. He explained that a number of coinplainte about larrikinism had been made lately, but fortunately such instances of violent interference as the present were rare. King denied having assaulted the girl, but admitted the assault on Percival Caudwell, a returned soldier, while the two other accused both pleaded guilty, Sanford to assault and Chitty to the use of threatening ibehaviour. JSTortnan Bell stated that he and his friend Pcrcival Caudwell, a returned soldier, were escorting several young ladies home laet night after attending a surprise party. The accused and other men were passed in the Ponsonby Road. The men seemed to be under the in(luence of liquor and subjected the party to a quantity of obscene language. They then came to close quarters and aimed blows both at the ladies and their es- * corts. One of the ladies was struck in the back and witness and his friend became engaged in a pretty hopeless struggle against odds, lie stood up to the first man but when the mob, which numbered seven or eight closed round him he was knocked down. Caudwell also had a bad time, while one of the attackers received a blow meant for the witness and was knocked clean out. The girls fled screaming to the police station I for help. One of the girle and Caudwell, who hag ; not yet recovered the fall use of either of his arms, which were both wounded, gave evidence. When invited to give , their version all three accused elected to ] keep silent. The Magistrate expressed the resolve J to make an example of the young men before him. There had 'been a good deal of hoodlumism of late, and it was time a period were put to it, fines being ap- | parently insufficient as deterrents. King 1 and Sanford would each be sentenced to i seven days imprisonment with hard labour, and Chitty would be fined the maximum £5, in default seven days' imprisonment. ! A FIREMAN'S FROLIC. ■ William Ferguson, a fireman employed t on the eteamer Flora, assaulted "the : second engineer yesterday upon meeting him in an alleyway on the vessel. Sub--1 Inspector Wohlmann explained that on [ Wednesday Ferguson appeared in Court ] for drunkenness. He was fined 40/, with » the option of seven days in gaol. ; NATIONAL SERVICE. A young Dalmatian named Mate Dragii vicevich, 23 years of age, was charged with having refused to perform national service on public works at Whangarei. i Mr. S. Mays informed the Bench that t Dragivicevich was originally employed at - Maungaturoto, but he left there, and was • warned to be at Whangarei on March 4. - He turned up on March 12th, but flatly declined to work, saying that he was not - going to work for the Government while , there were plenty of Germans in the t country uninterned and not called upon • to work. He remained obdurate,,'despite '_ the pleadings of some compatriot's. Mate I remained silent in Court, and was given 5 three months with hard labour. NOT A FEATHER TO SHOW. !_ ■ A loose-built man of thirty odd years, . named Claud Randolph Marmont, who a has a list of seven or eight convictions • against him on various counts, came up this morning on a charge of false pre- . tences, in the shape of obtaining £6 odd 1 wortii of dress material from a Symonds Street draper on the plea that some female relatives who had been smiti ten by the epidemic were in need of ~ clothing, but had no money. He mii formed the storekeeper that he owned about 200 fowls himself, and when'he : sold them the goods would be paid for. • Nothing was heard from him again, -how. f ever, until the police, who were acH quainted of the transaction, discovered • him at Tuakau. The dress goods had t been sold to quench his thirst, and the fowls existed only in his lively and futile imagination. 1 Marmont denied that he had used false - pretences, declaring he gave his right I name to the draper, and was now will- . ir.g to pay for the goods, though the i search at the station only revealed 2/3 i as his cash balance. The Bench rejected the suggestion of - the bona fides presented by the culprit, '' and sentenced him to three months with j hard labour. y Mcrmont admitted that a maintenance ? order against him on behalf of his wife a was £10 12/ in arrears, and was given _ another month's imprisonment on this '• count. ALLEGED INDECENCY. A man of 37 years, named Herbert 1 John Shepperd, accused of having indet cently exposed himself in the Western £ Park, was remanded for a week, bail • being allowed in £100. t>