TWO MONTHS' GAOL

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 198, 22 August 1942, Page 7

TWO MONTHS' GAOL

INDECENT TELEPHONE TALJCS

Appearing on summons in the Police Court on three charges of using indecent language in' telephone cabinets, John Henry Wallace who pleaded guilty, was given a term of imprisonment.

Detective-Sergeant Trethewey said that a respectable young woman had received telephone calls almost every day over a period of four weeks from an unknown man. On two occasions the man tried to disguise his voice and make it appear that he was a policeman investigating complaints made by the young woman. After making inquiries Detective Lennon actually found Wallace in a telephone cabinet speaking on the phone. He admitted the offences. "The defendant made filthy suggestions to this young woman whom he had not known and had never met." added the detective-sergeant. "He just picked her name out of the telephone book. In employment and earning £6 per week, Wallace has never been in trouble before. However, this was a particularly vile type of offence." Asked if he had anything to say, Wallace replied in the negative. "Nothing is more annoying or disconcerting for a person to receive anonymous calls on the telephone, but when suggestions are made such as are outlined in these three charges, then the qply thing to do is to order a substantial term of imprisonment," said Mr. Luxford. On one charge Wallace was sentenced to two months' imprisonment and on the remaining two he was convicted and discharged.