CHRISTMAS REVELS.

Auckland Star, Volume LV, Issue 307, 27 December 1924, Page 3

CHRISTMAS REVELS.

END IN POLICE COURT. MAX TICKLED SLKEHXG CURLS' TOES. Christmas •vheer" affects different people differently. There was quite ;i Iwti-h of reveller* before two justices of (lie peace. Messrs. .1. R. Self and H. T Uarratt. at the J'oliee Court this morning, and various were the aspects t>l the sorry individuals that crept, stepped or shuffled into the dotk. One of the batch even hobbled in on crutches, and one wondered how on earth he had managed to keep track of hits support.' while under the influence of the -bowl with the headed bubbles winking at the brim." One individual had an eve like a poached egg, as they say in French, a Maori wore an eye-patch, and one elderly wassailer had his head so well bound up in white bandages that they only left a bit of face peeping out here and there. Another elderly whiteboarded little man who had kept his Christmas not wisely but too well, entered the dock crab-wi?e. evidently mistook a row of waiting constable* at the rear for the Bench, and was generally so bemused that Senior .Sergeant Rowell's suggestion that the old chap should be remanded for medical trnatment. seemed to be the only and kindest thing to do. Oddest case of nil was that of a sailot named Theodore Casey, a youngish man who described himself as a sailor off the lsaiapoi, and pleaded guilty to having assaulted two girls at Bayswater this morning. Senior Sergeant Rowell explained that at live minutes past six o'clock this morning Casey went to a house at Bayswater, saw a "bedroom open, put. his hand through and grabbed at the feet of two girls who were sleeping. The girls acted with considerable smartness. They identified the man as he turned to fin away. They dressed as quickly as possible, and followed him to town, keeping him in sight until they came, to a constable and gave him in charge. Mr. Fitzlierbcrt. who appeared for the accused, said the case, was a most peculiar ODe, and tho. assault waa really more. of a technical one. Casey had got more than hie fair'share of liquor on Bosing Day, and then bad gone over to Takapuna, taking more liquor with him. There the man got so drunk that he slept over at the Lake all night. In making his way back to town this morning he saw a window open, and overcome by some stupidity he put his hand in, lifted the bed clothes, and tickled the girls' feet. It. was a ridiculous thing to do, and showed that the man had no sinster intent. The most that could be said that the circumstances were euspicioue and counsel urged that a reasonable fine would meet the case. Mr. Self pointed out that the offence was a serious one, the girls might have been frightened out of their lives. Senior Sergeant Rowell said that Mr. Fitzherbert's statement was all right as far it- went, but the accused had previously been convicted of serious offences that showed what was in his mind. The accused's record of convictions was handed up to the Bench, and reference was made to the seriousness of the charges, hut nothing was said in open court as to their nature. The Senior Sergeant said Mr. Fitzherbert's remarks and suggestion would be quite reasonable if the man had not previously been before the Court, but from thc-sheet that had been handed to the Bench the justices could sec the sort of man they had to deal with. The Bench admitted that while no one knew what the man's intentions were when he went to the window, the li.st of previous convictions was against, him. The least the tfench could do was to put him in gaol until his steamer was ready to sail. Casey was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment, but if his steamer sailed in the meantime he was to be placed on board.