MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21715, 24 February 1936, Page 9

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

— r -^ — SATURDAY (Before Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M.) THEFT OF HANDBAGS Alice Beatrice Tootell pleaded guilty to the theft of a handbag and its contents, valued at £1 6s, the property of Rose Evealina Hobson, and to the theft of another handbag, valued at £1 Is, the property of Beath and Company. The accused claimed a handbag which she had seen another customer leave in the Farmers' Co-operative shop, said Detective-Sergeant Holmes. She removed the contents and destroyed the bag, saying, when interviewed, that it belonged to her daughter. It was then found that she had another bag, and that led to the second charge, the bag having been stolen from Beath and Company. Last time she was in trouble was four and a half years ago, said Mr D. W. Russell for Tootell. She was a married woman whose husband was unable to control her impulses to steal. She was sentenced to 30 days' imprisonment on the first charge and was convicted and discharged on the second.

CHARGES ADJOURNED Charges of failing to deliver £1 9s s£d to his employer, Horace HerbertMugford, and of stealing a case of prunes and a confectionery tin, valued at 14s, the property of J. Pye and Company, Rakaia. against Harold Aston Wood were adjourned sine die to allow the Salvation Army to investigate the best method of caring for him. For the accused, Mr J. K. Moloney said there was some degree of subnormality. Wages totalling £1 were owing to him and he kept the money involved in the first charge in payment

of them, as he thought he was to lose his job. VALUELESS CHEQUES ISSUED A woman, aged 26 years, whose name was suppressed, was placed on probation for 12 months on two charges of issuing valueless cheques for £lO and £5 10s. Detective-Sergeant Holmes said the woman had mutilated the cheques in order that it would be difficult for the bank to discover to whom the forms had been issued. The accused had been giving money to indigent persons who were taking advantage of her generosity, said Mr W. J. Hunter for the accused. She had consequently got behind with her household accounts. The court ordered that restitution be made.

HELPLESSLY DRUNK Ambrose James Stratford pleaded guilty to being in a state of helpless drunkenness in Madras street. He was coilvicted and discharged. He consented to a prohibition - order being issued against him.

CHILDREN'S COURT (Before Mr F. F. Reid, S.M., and Mrs T. E. Taylor, J.P.) A girl, aged 16 years, was charged with stealing 18 pairs of shoes, valued at £ll ss, and seven pairs, valued at £4 lis 6d, and another girl, aged 18 years, was charged with receiving four pairs knowing them to have been dishonestly obtained. The former was placed under supervision for two years and restitution of all the recoverable shoes was ordered. The second girl was admitted lo probation for 12 months, and an order was made for the restitution of two pairs of shoes , and 37s 9d at the discretion of the probation officer. Two,boys, each aged 14 years, were admonished and discharged for being in possession of air-guns, and the wea- j pons were ordered to be forfeited. j For cycling on the footpath, a 14-1

year-old boy was fined 2s 6d, and another, aged 16 years, for cycling at night without a light, was fined 2s. For riding 1 a motor-cycle negligently and without a license, a 17-year-old boy was admonished and discharged. A boy, aged 14 years, was placed under supervision for 12 months for the theft of four iron wheels. For the theft of a watch, valued at 6s 3d, a 13-year-old boy was placed under supervision for 12 months and was ordered to make restitution. A boy, aged 13 years, charged with the theft of 12 books, valued at £3 12s, theft of 15s, and theft of a girdle iron, valued at ss, was placed under supervision for two years. He was told that if he committed any further breaches he would be sent to an institution. Restitution of the goods recovered was ordered, and he was also ordered to make restitution of 7s. A charge of touting for hire was brought against a boy and was adjourned until next Saturday.