GAMING CHARGES

Press, Volume LXXI, Issue 21437, 1 April 1935, Page 18

GAMING CHARGES

SIXTY-FIVE MEN IN COURT FINES TOTALLING £399 i Fines totalling £309 were imposed on 62 men who were charged in the j Magistrate's Court on Saturday morning with breaches of the Gaming: Act The heaviest fine, of £IOO, was imposed on Albert Khouri, aged 39, ft native of Jerusalem, who pleaded guilty to using premises of which he was the occupier at 109 a Gloucester street as a common gaming-house. William Bowyer, aged 48, described as a labourer, was fined £SO for assisting in the conduct of a common gaming-house. Twelve men were each, fined £5, 47 £4, and one £l." The charges against three others were dismissed on condition that each pays } £lO to the Mayor's Coal and Blanket Fund, These three are horse-trainers, and it was stated that their livelihood would be taken away if convictions I were entered. All the men were ordered to pay costs, and only one pleaded not guilty. He was convicted. ! Mr E. D. Mosley, S.M., was on the bench, and Chief-Detective W. H. Dunlop prosecuted. Unlawfully on Premises The following were charged with being found without lawful excuse on the premises of a common gaming-' house:—John Harris Prisk, Robert.! Henderson Ritchie, labourer, 34 years of age; John McDermott, labourer, 45 years of age; Keith Ritchie, salesman, 34 years of age; John Brown, labourer, 54, years of age; Edward Hansen, butcher, 50 years of age; John Samuel Golding, ship's fireman, 43 years of age; Grainger Tait Clarke, horsebreaker, 71 years of age; John William Steel, tailor, 39 years of age; Charles Nelson, labourer, 23 years of age; Charles O'Connor, salesman, 50 years of age; Henry Blackaby, 'butcher, 59 years of age; Leonard [Blackaby, storeman, 31 years of age; George Matthew Blackaby, mercer, 23 years of age; Arthur Leonard Albertson, clerk, 36 years of age; Charles Henry Lawson, clerk, 61 years of age; George Blackler, mecnanic, 30 years of age; John Johnston, years of age; Thomas Edward Klnsella, traveller, 47 years of age; Allan Holmes, horses-trainer, 24 years of age; Freeman Graham Holmes, horsetrainer, 33 years of age; James Peddle, cook, 60 years of age; Charles Irvine, labourer, 51 years of age; Victor William Aiborn, mine-owner, 47 years of age; Stanley Percival Bamett, clerk, 24 years of age; James Arthur Frost, barman, 53 years of age; Arthur Claude Bartram, taxi-driver, 50 years of age; Jack Morriss<*y, baker, 43 years of age; Charles Cecil Hern, carrier, 36 years of age; Alfred Priest, labourer. 27 years of age; Clarence James Hathfleld, cook, 35 years of, age; James Murphy, horse-driver, 61 years of age; Walter White, labourer, 33 years of age; 2dward William Martin, salesman, 37 years of age; Harry Doherty, labourer, 39 years of age; Thomas George, boot repairer, 20 years of age; James Hale, photographer, 27 years of age; David Webber, labourer, 60 years of age; Thomas James Rothfull, labourer, 43 years of age; John Lester, fruiterer, 33 years of age; Dave Tither, labourer, 34 years ■of age; Chax-les Graham, journalist, 64 years of age; Arthur Rogers, carpenter. 51 years of age; Herbert Whitfield, labourer, 40 years of age; John Neil Mundy, motor driver, 39 years of age; Francis Shaw, labourer, .'l9 years of age; Aloysius Lawrence, labourer, 36 years of fige; Edgar Jame3 Wilson,! salesman, 39 years of age; Fredeiick Davis, barman, 53 years of age; John Gourd, labourer, 37 years of age; Walter Lawrence Short, labourer, 36 years of age; Thomas Goldsmith, labourer, 39 years of age; Christopher Rodgers, labourer, 46 years of age; Thomas Owens, bookmaker, 37 years of age; Andrew O'Connor, machinist, 47 years of age; Arthur Stokes, storeman, 63 years of age; Thomas Henry Gardner, labourer, 34 years of nge; Thomas Francis O'Loughlin,' machinist, 43 years of age; Alfred Bates, labourer, 51 years of age; William Carter, bricklayer, 46 years of age; Lyon Eastgate, commission agent, 53 years of age; Hibib Reid, labourer, 68 years of age; James McDowell Clark, salesman, 30 years of age. Mr P. P. J. Amodeo appeared for Khouri, Bowyer, Ritchie, Nelson, Brown, Blackler. and Doherty; Mr W. F. Tracy for A. Holmes. F. G. Holmes, and Aiborn; Mr C. V. Quigley for Albertson; and Mr R. Twyneham for Bamett. The case against Khouri and Bowyer was heard first.

"Playing: at Hazards" Chief-Detective Dunlop said that Khouri was the renter of the premises in Gloucester street which he ran as an ordinary club. All the paraphernalia usually found in an ordinary club was on Khouri's premises. Owing to a number of complaints about the place, the club was raided on Friday night about 11.30 by detectives and constables. The first into the rooms was Detective MeClung, and he saw the game of hazards going on. There was money on the table, dice in the pockets of the table, and others in the possession of Bowyer. There were 65 men in the room, and in addition all classes of betting material such as double charts, and the rules of tho Bookmakers' Association were found. The magistrate: The Bookmakers' Association? Chief-Detective Dunlop: Yes, sir. The magistrate: Members of the legal profession have always told me ; the bookmakers did not have an association. Continuing. Chief-Detective Dunlop said that there were also in the room poker chips, and the table was specially constructed for poker and similar games. Chief-Detective Dunlop then produced a length of rubber tubing, which, j he said, was filled with shot, and a ' sandbag. These had been found on (he premises. Usually they were to be found in the possession of burglars, but possibly the accused could explain their presence in the rooms. He said 1 that when the police began the raid they first noticed that a bell began to ring, and as soon as they got on the stairs they found that the bells were automatic. There were connexions for six bells, so that ample warning would be given of an attempt to raid the place. As the police approached the door into the rooms Khouri opened it to see what was happening. Numerous complaints about the rooms had been received over a long period. Although Khouri had been in charge of the place for the last 15 months, it was known before then as a gambling club. The men who were found there were drawn from practically all ranks; gome were in good positions, others were not. Bowyer was not known to the police, but Khouri was convicted in 1928 for being found on the premises of a common gaming-house. Mr Amodeo said that Khouri'was a respectable citizen. There was no suggestion of unfairness about the conduct of the club. He understood that the sandbags were on the premises before Khouri took them over. Khouri now intended to give up the premises. The magistrate: Going to wear the white flower of a blameless life, eh? Mr Amodeo added that Bowyer was in a different category, as he was employed by Khouri. Fines on Principals The magistrate said be would give Khouri a concession. Instead of sending him to prison for three months he would impose a monetary penalty, as this was the first time Khouri had come before the court on a charge of allowing his premises to be used as a common gaming-house. He would be fined £IOO and ordered to pay costs. In default of immediate payment he would be sentenced to,three months' imprisonment' with hard, labour. Bowyer would be fined £SO and

ordered to pay costs, in default two months' imprisonment with hard labour. Mr Amodeo: Will you give Bowyer time to pay? The magistrate: He can have 10 minutes. Mr Tracy, appearing for F. G. Holmes, A. Holmes, and Alborn, said his clients were all licensed horsetrainers, and the matter was of great consequence to them. The magistrate: If they are convicted they will lose their licenses? Mr Tracy: Yes. The magistrate said he had no sympathy for the men, but if he convicted them it would take away their livelihood. He would . have to make them pay more than the others. On condition that each paid the costs of prosecution and paid £lO to the court for the Mayor's Coal and Blanket Fund, he would dismiss the charges under the Offenders' Probation Act. Bartram, who was the only one to plead not guilty, said that he had gone on to the premises to take 6ome of the men home in his taxi. He did a lot of work for men who used the club. Chief-Detective aPunlop: You went there knowing it was a gaming school? —Yes. Bartram was convicted. Of those convicted, Prisk, Albertson, Blackler, Barnett, Frost, White, Hale, Owens, Stokes, O'Loughlin, Bates, and Clark were each fined £5 and ordered to pay costs. The others were ""each fined £4 and ordered to pay costs, with the exception of McDennott, who was fined £1 and ordered to pay costs. Payment was ordered to be made forthwith, default for those fined £5 being fixed at one month's imprisonment, and for those fined £4 at 21 days' imprisonment Default in McDerrnott's case was fixed at 43 hours' imprisonment.