POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume LII, Issue 26, 31 January 1921, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M. i SMALL 'DRUNK" LIST. The after-effects of Anniversary Day were not particularly marked in the '. drunkenness list handled by the police ] during the week end. iTiree first offenders for plain drunkenness forj feited their bail money they had been ! I able to raise to buy themselves out I when they got sober again. Robert j ' I Bateman (09). with 94 previous con-j ' victions. three of them within the last j month, was held to be beyond the power | ' !of Rotoroa Island to redeem, and was; fined 20/. in default three days' imprison- j ' ment. Two who had aggravated their offence by, committing indecent acts. were each fined £5. , HIS FRIEND THE " ARMY." ' "A strange charge for a young man who is a native of New Zealand to have to meet," commented his Worship when ' a smart-looking young man, John Ford, i who was only 20 years old, admitted a i charge of vagrancy. Sub-Inspector j Eceles said that the young man called , at the police station early on Sunday ! morning and asked to be locked up as he had no means or friends, and did not , v- know what to do. There was nothing whatever known against him, and the | Salvation Army people had offered to j .j 1 give the young fellow a helping hand, j r I The charge was withdrawn, at the sug- ' (gestion of the Magistrate, who remarked g ithat it would 'be a pity to put the stain :of a conviction on the young man's _ record under the circumstances, and Ford was handed over to his friend, the s Salvation Army. r TRUSTED A STRANGER. "Asked a stranger to collect his divi- " dend. and made a mistake about picking 1 out the man again, coming out," stated c the Sub-Inspector of Horace Richard *j"N'cal (21). a yot_g man. who admitted i .having assaulted an elderly man named George Laird at the Takapuna races , Mon Saturday. Laird declared that the | ' young man picked on him and said he had "taken him down" for his money, and i when he replied that he liad never Defore j :* seen Neal, which was the truth, the , ; latter struck him. and continued to ; knock him about. Neal's explanation was that he considered Laird was the ■ man he had siven his ticket to with a : request that he should collect the money. ' and when this man wtarted to make a j song about being "taken down and call witness a crook in front of a crowd, j r witness lost his temper and thrashed the ' iman. I j Neal was fined £5 and 31 ' cost* for ; I the assault. I COSTLY TRIP TO TOWN. ci Thomas C.oulton (37). a farmer from; nlAvondale, was driving into town on Fri- j f !day afternoon, when a constable noticed I r that the shoulders of the horse the man ' tjwa? driving were bleeding. The police- j o man stopped the turnout and examined' (the horse's shoulders, with the result j c that he had Goulton brought before the ; i. court on a charge of illtreating the : c horse by working ix while it was 'stilTering from sore shoulders. Act-used stated that he had ha/1 the, horse only for a fortnight and was not aware until this occasion that the scars on the animal's shoulders were rubbed by the breastplate. The Magistrate remarked i j that it was accused's business to know „ I how his harness fitted bis horses, and „ 'fined the man £5. c . ' ' ' —