POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume LIII, Issue 190, 12 August 1922, Page 6

POLICE COURT.

1 ■■ ■ j (Before Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M.) ' A WOMAN UNWANTED. When Dorothy O'Donovan (28) v.as arrested on Tuesday last by Constable Marks for the theft of a blouse from a shop in Queen Street she was pressed by the officer as to how a baby's bonnet and napkins came into her possession, she being a single woman. After countless prevarications, O'Donovan at last admitted that after she had stolen the blouse she went to a friends house in Grafton Road. She was I short of money and seeing her friend put her purse in her bag, she made up her mind to annex it. This she did —bag and all —when the friends back was turned. The remarkable thing about it was tlie friend's trust, for though she missed the bag after O'Donovan left, she did not for a moment suspect her, but advertised for the bag, thinking she must have lost It. This morning O'Donovan was charged with having stolen a blouse valued at 22/6, the property of Leonna Mclntyre, and with having' stolen a handbag and contents and a purse containing £1 8/, of a total value of £4 3/6. the property of Elsie Elizabeth Bennett. Mr. Singer, for the accused, pleaded guilty and said the offences were doubtless due to drink. She had come from Australia and -would perhaps go back there if given an opportunity. Mr. Poynton, S.M.: It would perhaps be a good thing for this country if she, left it. Senior Sergeant Rawle said the woman went into Mis 3 Mclntyre's shop in Queen Street and ran away with a blouse. She was pursued and caught and w as under the influence of drink when brought to the police station. The Magistrate ordered accused to come up for sentence in one month's time. In that period she could arrange with her friends to leave the country. If he bad not gone in a month he would deal with her. "There is too much of this thieving by women going on," said Mr. Poynton, "and it must be stopped. I attribute much of it to the softness of the courts in dealing with these cases." MAH.C3-ESSAIT___T'S JOT RISE. A tall young man attired in dungaree overalls named Roy Marchessault said he remembered nothing about being drunk on the previous day and unlawfully using a motor cycle valued at £150, the property of George Bell. Marchessault, who said he was on an American ship in port was told by the Magistrate that he could not use the people's property as he liked •in this country and was ordered to pay a fine of £5. TWO OLD OFFENDERS. Charles McGeahan, who admitted 58 previous convictions, .and Ernest Cox, who confessed to 28, pleaded guilty to charges of street fighting. They were lucky to escape with fines of 20/ each.