THE COURTS.

Press, Volume LXV, Issue 19813, 28 December 1929, Page 7

THE COURTS.

MAGISTERIAL. FRIDAY. Bt.cre Mr E. D. Mosley, S.MJ THEFT CHAHGE. , _„.._, , v ~„.-,.- p-tlication of whose «mc had bee'a Wpr«iW. ™ on rt»« with the theft of a woman s overcva., >* at £&. the property 01 J. KuraUe;. She was rfinanded to Decemusr -is. tha same bail as formerly. sALtiMANS LAPSE. Sidnev Druiti Mayo, aged 54 years. a salesman employed by T. Armstrong ana •. appeared for sentence on charges ma. " December 20th te stole three pairs, o: > v.01..c stockings, valued at il 15s vd, a:-a >--> about December 20th. thirteen = women's stockings, fourteen toy fca:!ooct. a«u two pairs of women's gloves, valued at -* 2d, all being the property of T. Arms,rua c and Co. . ,_ Chief-Detective Carrol! said Mayo * : '^ m charge of the hosiery department at :*-"" strong's. Ke was seen to hide some M '»« silk stockings in a comer, and it v. as arranged for a po'iee '.nicer to watch him. At the end of the day Mayo was seen to ta».e them away. On being accosted he S3id that he was returning them to the warehouse, but at that time no warehouse was open, xhe other article uu-nt:oned in the eharzes were found in his house when a search was made. He had been about two years with Armstrong's, and was b*-ing paid £ll a week. Prior to that he had been for 18 or CO years with a wholesale linn. Mayo had eight children. Nothing previously was known against him, but it was evident he had made a mess ot* his life. , Mr K. Twyneham. who appeared for accused, said he had practically nothing to add to what Chief-Detective Carroll had said. Mayo had been employed by Koss and Glendining for 20 years, and they always found him steady, honest, and reliable. Seven of his eight children were girls, and he had th? idea of making them a cheap Christmas present. No greater punishment could be put on Mayo than the loss of hit, position, and the besmirching of his name, with the odium which would follow on such a charge. Counsel suggested strongly that it was not a case for imprisonment, as it was Mayo's first offence. He was not the kind of man who should be herded with criminals. Mr Moslcy: B--' these offences are of such a serious nature. I should send these men to gaol. Mr Twyneham: It is his first, break in 54 years. The Bench: There is absolutely no excuse for him. Counsel: He is ruined; nothing could be worse than that. On the first, charge Mayo was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within two year*, and on the second he was convicted "and fined t'lo. in default three months' hard labour. He was allowed three days in which to pav the fine. An order was made that the good's be returned to Armstrong and Co. VALUELESS CHEQUES.

Sidney James Gibson, aged 27 years, was charged that on December 20th, with intent to defraud, he obtained from Booth, Macdonaid and Co. £4 15s in money by means of a false pretence—the issue of a valueless cheque. A second charge of a similar nature was in respect, of £5 5s obtained from Mason, Struthers, Ltd.

Mr F.'P. Sargent (for so-used* pleaded guilty to both charge". Gibson elected to be dealt with summarily.

Chief-Detective Carrol! said accused represented to Mason, Struthers. Ltd.. that he was a. farmer, and ordered a separator nnder a hire-purchase agreement. He tendered a £lO cheque, which later proved to be valueless, in payment of a deposit of £4 15s. On the following day he went to Booth. Macdonald's. and tendered another cheque for £lO, in payment of railway freight of £5 5s on a tractor which he ordered. Gibson had three previous convictions in Dunedin and Tnvercargill. For one offence he received two years' reformative detention, and he was still on license from the Prisons Board.

Mr Sargent said that from the circumstances of these false pretences it would be seen that Gibson had been drinking, and had not been by any means normal. He imagined, when in this condition, that ha was such-and-such a person, and his mind was completely upset. Hie previous offences were all in one series, as was the case with those which he had committed last week. Mr Sargent asked for a last chance for Gibson.' If drink was the trouble, he said, it was possible to make stringent conditions. Mr Mosley: One of the conditions of his release on license was that he should take' out a prohibition order against himself. It does not appear to have had any effect. Counsel: Perhaps your Worship could give him a last chance in some form which would he satisfactory all round t Mr Mosley: Chance after chance hat been given him, and he has not taken it. He has broken his prohibition order also. He will be sentenced to six months' imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to be eoncurrent. A FREE FIGHT. Christopher Howe Nicholson (Mr Sargent), a showman, was charged that on August 6th, 1927, he unlawfully assaulted Thomas Smith at Addington, assaulted George Neale, played by way of gaming at two-up, and used obscene language. Senior-Sergeant T. Shanahan said the case arose ont of incidents in Wright's road, when a crowd were watching a trotting Meeting over the fence. Thomas Joseph Smith, leadlight maker, said that on the day in question he was one of a group bv the Addington racecourse fence. A fight developed as the result of Nicholson receiving a bite from a dog. Several men attacked witness, and he was knocked down, receiving a cut over the eye. He did not know who did this. A game of two-up had been in progress, and when the fight was on bad language was .used by the men attacking his party. To Mr Sargent: He could not identify the accused as being one of them. George Frederick Neale, butcher, who was also in the melee, said he could not i"**™*? anyone in Court as having struck hiin. The language uwd was pretty warm. Witness ran away into a paddock because he was the biggest, and two of them were after him. To Mr Sargent: He did not recognise accused as being one ot the attackers. William Smith, leadlight maker, «««»- bered the fight, but could not Identify anyone in Court as having attacked •»»• Similar evidence was given by two other witnesses'and Mr Sargent held that there was no caie to answer. . .. ~ ■'All the charges are dismissed," said the Bench. . ____