MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXVII, Issue 23248, 7 February 1941, Page 12

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

THURSDAY (Before Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M.) REMANDED A man whose name was suppressed was remanded until February 13 on a charge of receiving £75 12s 6d on September 26, 1940, on terms requiring him to account for it or pay it to another, and failing to do so, thereby committing theft. Alfred Goodsir, a labourer, aged 20, was remanded until February 13 on charges of stealing a man’s overcoat valued at £8 17s Gd, the property of Olive Franks, on January 21; stealing a man’s bicycle, the property of Reginald Goodland, on January 20; stealing a camera valued at £7, the property of Ernest William Evans, on September 19, 1940; stealing A suitcase valued at £1 ss, the property of - Samuel Buckett, on November 17, 1940; stealing a pair of trousers valued at £1 ss, the property of Harold William Barnes, on November 15, 1940. Detective-Sergeant J., McClung said that other charges were pending. ADJOURNED John Berwick pleaded not guilty to t the charge that on September 20, at Lyttelton, he stole two blankets worth 30s, the property of the Army Department. Detective-Sergeant J. McClung said that Berwick had said he was going to plead' guilty, and so no witnesses had been called. The case was adjourned until Monday. NAME SUPPRESSED A young man whose name was suppressed was convicted of stealing a bicycle lamp, and was ordered to come up for sentence if called on within three months. Mr C. V, Lester said that his client came of a good family, and the police themselves regarded him as “a decent boy.” He did not need a lamp, and the offence’ was merely a case of mischief. “Yes, but this type of offence is out of hand,” said the Magistrate. “When we have the traffic cases here you hear, ‘My lamp was stolen, my lamp was stolen,’ all morning.” Mr Lester submitted that the boy had learnt his lesson, and an individual treatment of the case was more apt than the application of a general principle. The Magistrate said that it was only the police testimony of character that saved the accused from going straight to the prison.

DRUNKENNESS Walter Ough Copp, a labourer, aged 31, was charged with drunkenness and using obscene language. Detective-Sergeant McClung said that there was a disturbance outside the Shades Hotel, and Detectives Burns and Stewart arrested Copp, who then used bad language. Copp said he was a single man working on the railway at Otira. He was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within 12 months, conditional upon paying costs. FALSE PRETENCES Foster George Dacre, said to have been before the Court 45 times already, was convicted of obtaining money by false pretences. Mr McClung said it was “the same old story.” Dacre had approached William George Carson, of Lyttelton, and said he was out of petrol. He asked for the price of two gallons, and promised to deliver two bags of wood in return. He was not £een again, and when arrested in. Cathedral square he was drunk, though prohibited. Dacre asked the Magistrate to do something to help him. “The army” would do him good, he thought. The Magistrate; Which army? Dacre: The Salvation Army. The Magistrate: You’ve been drummed out of every army, haven’t you? Dacre: It was dashed foolishness, that’s all. I was drunk. Give me a warning, sir, and make it a stiff one. The Magistrate said he would not .be patient any more after this. If Dacre came up again and pleaded drunkenness he would go straight to the island. This time he would be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within three years, conditional upon his paying costs and taking out a prohibition order for each year. FIRE IN OPEN Elizabeth Hanna was ordered to pay costs for lighting a fire, outside without a permit. CIVIL COURT .ti (Before Mr H. A. Young, S.M.) Judgment by default was given in each of the following civil. cases:— Beath and Company, Ltd., v. Francis Wright, £2 14s; F. R. Hawker v. C. H. Keys, £1 7s 6d;. same v. Leo Mallouk, £1 11s 9d; the Commissioner of Taxes v. Gilbert Leathby Gledhill, £26 3s 3d; Massey, Harris Company, Ltd., v. J. W. Cooper, £45 10s 9d; trustees of the estate of William Henry WynifcWilliams v. Samuel George Lemon, £2lB 18s 7d; Beath and Company, Ltd., v. Tasman Patterson, £ 7 15s 6i