MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXV, Issue 22768, 21 July 1939, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

THURSDAY (Before Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M.) REMANDED Edward Vernon Reynolds, aged 21, a tile-worker (Mr R. A. Young), was charged with being Intoxicated in charge of a motor-car in Riccarton avenue on July 19. Sub-Inspector W. E. Packer asked for a remand to enable, a witness for the prosecution to attend. He added that a further charge of “hit-and-run” was pending against the accused. The circumstances of this further charge were that the accused had knocked down a man in Tuam street and had driven on. Another motorist had given chase, and the accused had later been arrested.

In reply to counsel’s request for bail, Mr Packer asked that this be substantial. “This is one of the men who were successful in winning the last art union,” he said, "so there should be no difficulty in finding the money.” The Magistrate said he did not approve of. long remands in such cases. He remanded the accused to July 28, fixing bail at £2OO in the accused’s own recognisance and one surety of £2OO.

IMPRISONMENT FOR FRAUD Nine charges, some of obtaining goods and others of obtaining credit by fraud, were faced by Faithful Charles Meikle (Mr H. Hunter) and Francis lan Hamilton Meikle (Mr J. K. Moloney). Three of the charges were for earlier offences on which the accused men appeared for sentence, Detective-Sergeant F. Sinclair outlined the circumstances of the offences, saying that the total value of the goods involved was £46 15s. The offences included credit to amounts of £lB 15s and £l3 obtained by fraud, and five tons of potatoes, valued at £37 10s, obtained by a false pretence from John Fairbairn.

Both counsel emphasised the distressed situation of the dependants. of the accused men. Mr Hunter said that Faithful Charles Meikle had a wife and four young children, the eldest child being six years old. He suggested a term of probation on strict terms, for the sake of the family. Mr Moloney said that the wife of Francis lan Hamilton Meikle was without a home or money to buy food. The Magistrate commented that until then the accused did not seem to have given much consideration to their dependants. “You set out on a system of fraud,” he "added, sentencing the accused Francis Meikle to six months’ imprisonment with hard labour, and Faithful Meikle- to three months’ imprisonment with hard labour. The sentences were on the charge of obtaining potatoes worth £37 10s. On the other charges the accused were convicted and discharged. FIREARM WITHOUT PERMIT

For delivering a firearm without a permit, William Doyle was fined 20s and ordered to pay costs. An order was made for the confiscation of the weapon. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE Charles Henry Fletcher (Mr Roy Twyneham), who pleaded guilty to a charge of committing incest, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail of £IOO with one surety of £IOO was allowed. CATTLE AT LARGE Daisy Rubena Murfltt was fined 10s and ordered to pay costs for permitting cattle to be at large on Hills road.

THEFT OF LIQUOR Charges of stealing liquor valued at £24 were brought against Terrence Gilbert Kennedy, an electrician, aged 28 (Mr A. H. Cavell), and Selwyn Street, an electrician; aged 21 (Mr J. T. Watts). , . .. . Detective-Sergeant Sinclair raid that both accused were working as electricians at the Empire Hotel. Seeing an open door they had walked in out "of curiosity and had fallen into temptation and stolen some liquor which was there. , „ . , Both men were first offenders and pleaded guilty. Both were convicted and committed to probation for three years. Street was ordered to make restitution of £1 3s 6d. Kennedy was ordered to make restitution of £22 16s 6d, restitution to be made at a rate of not less than £1 a week unless the Probation Officer directed otherwise. UNNATURAL OFFENCES Arthur Gladstone Polkinghorne pleaded guilty to nine charges of unnatural offences against males, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. CIVIL COURT (Before Mr H. A. Young, S.M.) CLAIM FAILS The Christchurch Tramway Board (Mr J. D. Hutchison) claimed from R. W. Joyce (Mr R. A. Young) the sum of £2 13s sd, the cost of damage to a bus. The plaintiffs' alleged that on March 16 the defendant drove his car negligently so as to collide with a bus near the intersection of Colombo and Armagh streets, causing damage to the amount claimed. Joyce said in evidence that he had stopped at a pedestrian crossing when the bus, which had been behind him, crossed the front of his car. The back of the bus struck his mudguard. Judgment was given for the defendant.