MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Press, Volume LXXVI, Issue 23204, 16 December 1940, Page 10

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

SATURDAY (Before Mr F. F. Reid, S.M.) REMANDED Two Norwegian seamen, Sven Milsen, aged 26, and Ole William Furo, aged 28, pleaded not guilty to charges of deserting their ship, and stated that they had caught the wrong train, Sergeant J. Crowley said that they had been found at Southbridge on Fri. day and arrested. The Magistrate remanded both men to appear at the ship’s next port ol call on December 16. THEFT Pleading guilty to a charge of steal, ing a quantity of clothing from the factory in which he was employed, a youth aged 17 was convicted and fined £2, and ordered to make restitution of £1 8s 4d. Detective-Sergeant A. Herron said that the theft had taken place during a period of several months. The youth had admitted the thefts, and the stolen articles had been recovered after a search of his home. “I hardly know what to do with you,” said the Magistrate. “I don’t think you are a criminal, but you are old enough to realise the seriousness of what you have done. These are particularly mean thefts, and you have thrown suspicion on your fellowworkers.” In convicting the youth, the Magistrate said he would take his youth into account. He ordered accused’s name to be suppressed. Henry Kerr, a farm labourer, aged 23, pleaded guilty to charges of stealing £3 in money on December 6, and the contents of a money box, 5s 3d, on December 12, both amounts being the property of Albert William Belworthy. Accused was convicted and ordered to appear for sentence within 12 months if called upon, and to make restitution of the money. DRUNKENNESS

Henry James Irwin, an accountant, aged 54, pleaded guilty to a charge of being found drunk in Colombo street, having been previously convicted in the last six months.

Accused was convicted and fined 30s, in default three days’ imprisonment. CHILDREN'S COURT

(Before Mr F. F. Reid, S.M.) A boy, who admitted issuing a valueless cheque with intent to defraud was placed under the supervision of the Child Welfare Officer for 18 months.

Detective-Sergeant A. Herron said that the boy had taken a cheque from his father’s cheque book, and made it out in a false name for the amount of £23 10s. He had altered the number of the cheque, so that, it would not be traced. He had then presented the cheque at a city shop in payment for a bicycle, and had received a cheque for £lO as change. This he had cashed elsewhere, and had given £3 to a friend. Restitution of £7 9s 9d was required. "I don’t 'know whether you read the papers or not, but if you do you will have seen that judges throughout New Zealand have been commenting, and rightly commenting, on the serious amount of critre being committed by children,’’ saic the Magistrate. “You are one of them, and by this act you have brought yourself within the shadow of the walls of a gaol.” It was a carefully planned and deliberate act, continued the Magistrate, telling the youth that if he had been a man he would have been liable to a term of imprisonment of as much as seven years. The boy's father said that he would make restitution.