POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 98, 27 April 1922, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

(Before Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M. CHALLENGED THE POLICEMAN. Charges of drunkenness and wilful damage were preferred against Archibald McGuinness, who pleaded guilty. It was stated that McGuinness went to an office in Queen Street when under the influence of liquor and put his fist through a window. When a constable was summoned he wanted to fight, but was arrested. He was fined £3 and ordered to pay £1 damages. A BIT OF A TIGHT. Thomas G. Aitken and Cornelius HcDevitt were charged with threatening behaviour in High Street. The former denied the charge, which the latter admitted. It was stated -by a constable that he saw a crowd come out of the Commercial Hotel, and then noticed Aitken and McDevitt at blows with each other. Aitken denied being the aggressor, and said he merely tried to ward McDevitt off in self-defence. Ho wished it to be understood that he had not had one drink that day. He went to the hotel to see a man, and was talking to him when McDevitt seemed to become irritated and struck him. McDevitt informed the Bench that Aitken had "handled the truth rather carelessly. 7 ' The fact was that Aitken came to him and wanted to put £2 on a horse. He refused the bet, saying he was not now doing business, and adding, "Even if I was I would not do any with you—you .do not pay your debts." With that Aitken rushed at him, and that was how the trouble started. Each defendant was convicted and ordered to pay a fine of £2. A WAITEMATA MATTER. Archibald Lewis Fisher, charged with having assaulted a man in the private bar of the Waitemata Hotel, pleaded provocation. Mr. Allan Moody, for the 'llefenee, said that the man purposely jostled Fisher vvhilet lie was in the act of lighting a cigarette, burning hie client's lip. Then lie got what he was looking for and what he deserved—one good smack. The emack eo=t Fisher a fine of £2, and £1 for witnesses' expenses. Perhaps it was cheap at the price. A VIOLENT SRUKK. When Michael Leahey, a young man, was charged with having been drunk and resisted the police, it was stated that he had interfered with a woman in the street, and when arrested fought violently, considerable force having to Ibe exercised to get him to the police station. As there were twenty previous convictions against Leahey, whose last appearance was for a similar offence, he was cent to gaol for a month. A youth of 17. who pleaded guilty to eeveral thefts from housee which he had entered in the absence of the occupiers, was placed on probation for five years. The magistrate requested the Frees to refrain from publishing the lad's name. TRAM DRIVER SCORES. Reginald Young, who was represented by -Vlr. J. J. Sullivan, pleaded not guilty to a charge of having failed to comply with the directions of a traffic officer. From the evidence given it wae shown that the tram driven by the defendant ' wag proceeding along Symonds Street i and stopped near Kliyber Pass Road. j The policeman on point duty stated ; that he gave the signal to a motor car j i ahead oi the tram to proceed along into j Khyber Pass Road. The tram followed and collided with the car. I The defence raised by Mr. Sullivan j j was that the signal given to the motor, ! car was understood by the tram driver j to be meant for him to proceed. The magistrate held that there «a« a j : pcmsibility of such a misunderstanding j land he dismissed the case. |