MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Press, Volume LXXIX, Issue 24052, 14 September 1943, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

MONDAY (Before Mr E. C. Lewey, S.M.) bookmaker fined William Snook pleaded guilty • charge of using premises at 78 to * roa d as a common gaming-house. Active-Sergeant H. Nuttall said that • detectives visited the premises on morning they found the front equipped with two telephones and The accused was not an agent .principal, and principals did not b" 1 ■onoear in Court. Snook had been oflfJL the Court previously on similar •¥%«»• During the 20 minutes the detecwere in the house 29 bets had been o*.”, an d up to mid-day £260 worth of had been done, the amounts rangSf hom half-a-crown to £2O. is one of the ‘big shots’ in city.” concluded Detective-Sergeant fined £IOO, in default three imprisonment. DRUNKENNESS iL* May Waldron, a statutory second Lender. w fls convicted and discharged o'", charge of drunkenness, and on a of being a rogue and vagabond, rout she had no visible means of supij* v jhc was remanded till September 16. TO. drunkenness William David Everett fined 10s, and for casting offensive •tier In a public place he was fined £2, S default 48 hours’ imprisonment, OBSCENE LANGUAGE

W using obscene language in a public william Peace was fined 20s, In gSsiit 48 lours’ imprisonment. CHARGES OF THEFT Hector Seaton Green (Mr J. K. Moan airman, aged 29 years, Desmond Holmes Withers (Mr C. S. Thomas). • salesman, aged 17 years, Alexander Mackenzie Ferguson (Mr W. R. Lascelles), fmotor mechanic, aged 21 years, and Norman Francis Oberg (Mr J. D. Hutchison). , shoo assistant, aged 18 years, were Jhsrgecl with the theft of 20 gallons of wtrol the property of the Air Force Department of the New Zealand Govern-"'seiilor-Detective Nuttall said he would cffer rlo evidence on this charge, which was dismissed. Green was then charged with the theft o{ 70 gallons of petrol, the property of Hie Air Force Department, and with damaging locks to the value of £l, Oberg stealing quantities of clothing to the value of £3OB 4s, the-property of Beath and Company. Ltd.; Alexander Mackenzie Ferguson with receiving goods to the value of £4O 8s 6d, and Withers with receiving goods to the value of £49 15s [mowing them to have been dishonestly C Senior-Detective Nuttall said Oberg had been employed by a drapery firm in Christchurch and had taken goods from his employers. Green was a corporal In the Air Force and with three Civilians (whom he refused to name) had gone to an aerodrome, had filed locks on the petrol containers with a hacksaw, and had extracted 70 gallons from a boweer petrol that had been kept In reserve In case of emergency. Not satisfied with this, he had gone back to the aerodrome with Oberg and Ferguson, and had stolen a further 40 gallons. The second time, the accused had arrived back In Christchurch at 8 a.m., had then ir.tt Withers, and had driven to New Brighton. Later petrol was found under the life-saving pavilion at New Brighton, and with it was a quantity of clothing.l Whether the petrol was stolen for sale In the “black market” or whether it was for individual use was not known. The men had been perfectly frank with fiie police, and a quantity of material had be<n handed back. All were remanded in custody until September 16. Mr Moloney said Green was in the custody of the Air Force, and would remain in its care, but the Magistrate said he saw no reason why the accused, Green, {hould be treated differently from the lest. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE Oberg was then charged with the theft cf clothing to the value of £3OB 4s. He pleaded guilty. Evidence was given by David Low, floor superintendent for Beath and Company, Ltd,, who said that Oberg had been employed by the firm from March 25, 1941, I'tp December 19, 1942, and from June 14 i'tyAjugust 28, 1943. In the interval acifuse/a had been employed as a beach haftrol. Stock was missing, and no one UiSd had any authority to remove material without paying for It. ' Detective R. Watt said that on August 29 ne had gone to the New Brighton Surf Club’s pavilion, and in the cellar had found a quantity of petrol and clothing. On August 30, with a warrant, he had searched Oberg’s home at 50 Mathieson’s road, where he had found clothing, mercery, and suit lengths in his room. Later he saw accused with Withers, Ferguson, and Green, and had taken them to the e> station. Oberg admitted having material from Jhis employers, and that he had placed It under the pavilion at New Brighton. Goods produced were :valued at £6O, at Oberg’s home he had foilhd goods to the value of £l6O 5s 6d, and in Withers’s car goods to the value ;df £l4. Later he went to Withers’s hoirte Vand found goods worth £35 15s. He .then went to Ferguson’s home and collated material to the value of £4O 8s 6d. On August 31 he received a suit length valued at £4. from Green.

To Mr Hutchison: Oberg and hls parents but been quite frank, and had given every assistance. So far as he knew all the stolen materials had been recovered, end was produced in Court. Oberg was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.