MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25444, 16 March 1948, Page 3

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

MONDAY (Before Mr F. F. Reid, S.M.) BOOKMAKERS FINED

Edmund Michael Twohill, aged 45 (Mr F. W. M. Cowlishaw), who pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying on toe business of a bookmaker, was fined £l5.

Detective-Sergeant A. A. Herron said Twohill had made bets with a constable. It was not suggested that accused was in a big way of business nor that he was acting as an agent.

Mr Cowlishaw said his client had been taking small bets from 2s 6d to 10s and the constable had bet with him previously.

Raymond Claude Machirus, aged 39, pleaded guilty to a charge of carrying on the business of a bookmaker on March 13. Detective-Sergeant Herron said accusedwho described himself as a labourer, had adopted the business of bookmaker during week-ends and operated in toe hotel bars. When arrested he had taken £4O in bets. He had been before the Court before for a similar offence. Machirus was fined £6O.

THEFT OF MONEY Kathleen Elizabeth Morgan, aged 18, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing £1 2s 6d, the property of Mary Remi, on March 12.

The police evidence showed that accused had visited tearooms and had taken toe money from a woman’s purse. She was at present on probation.

The Magistrate said toe accused was something of a problem and was heading the right way for a term in a Borstal institution. She would be convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called on within 18 months, a condition, being that she spend toe next six months in an institution. He ordered that she make restitution of toe sum of £1 2s 6d.

1 ASSAULT ON POLlcfe CONSTABLE William John Brown, aged 38, pleaded ' guilty to a charge of assaulting Brian i Hubbard, a police constable, in toe exel cution of his duty on March 13, and I not guilty to a charge of using indecent i language in a public place. I In defence, Brown said he had no recollection of using the language complained • of. 1 Accused was convicted on both charges. • For toe assault he was fined £3, and ■ for using indecent language he was fined £2. DRIVING IN DANGEROUS MANNER ; Cyril Campbell Steel (Mr R. P. Thomp- • son) pleaded not guilty to a charge cf s being intoxicated. when to- charge of a • motor-car at Harewood on March 4, and guilty to a charge of driving a motorcar on Camp road, Harewood, in a manner which might have been dangerous to the public. Sub-Inspector J. J. Crowley, who represented toe police, asked permission to withdraw’ the first charge, because of medical evidence. Counsel for Steel said he had been taking drugs for asthma. Sub-Inspector Crowley said that when accused was driving a motor-car at Hare- ; wood, on March 4 it was very evident ■ that a tyre had punctured. Steel con- ■ tinned to drive round the block, and • even after he had lost a tyre he continued • for another rounds. When 'Steel was , taken to the police station, Dr. F. L. Scott . had called in Dr. R. W. Bellringer, and ' they had found that toe taking of drugs was the cause of the trouble. Sub-In-spector Crowley said he had been instructed to apply for the cancellation of ’ the driver’s licence held by Steel. ’ Mr Thompson said that since childhood Steel had been asthmatic. He had been taking a drug, adrenalin, which was not having toe desired effect. He was then prescribed another drug, ephredin. , On toe night of the alleged offence he had gone to a social evening, ind, feeling un- > well, had taken a tablet and had intended going to his home. He_ did not know why he. had gone to Harewood. He had no friends there. It was admitted that he had been driving in an erratic manner. It was the first time such a thine had happened to him, and the cause of the trouble was in taking a drug to which he had not been accustomed. In opposing toe cancellation of the driver’s licence, Mr Thompson said there was nothing to say that his client would use toe same drug again. The Magistrate said if it was necessary for accused to take toe new drug for health purposes, it might possibly be dangerous for him to hold a driver’s licence. He would enter a conviction, and adjourn the charge until March 22 for toe production of medical evidence. Bail was renewed in toe sum of £lO.

DESERTION

Allen Thompson, aged 22, a ship’s cook, was sentenced to one month’s .imprisonment with hard labour when he pleaded guilty to a charge of deserting from the overesas ship Waipawa on February 12. Accused said his only reason for “jumping toe ship" was that he wanted to be married and this was toe only way to do it. PRISONERS SENTENCED

Aparahama Kipa, aged 19, and Sydney Sullivan, aged 21, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of converting to their own use a motor-cycle, the property of Ray Clifford Holland, were each sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. On charge of stealing a bicycle valued at £l2, the property of Leonard Norman Ebblewhite, and a bicycle valued at £lO, the property' of Maurice Selwyn Lee. Sullivan was sentenced to two months’ imprisonment on each charge. Kipa was sentenced to two months imprisonment for receiving from Sydney Sullivan a bicycle valued at £lO, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained. Both accused had appeared for sentence iA the Supreme Court earlier in the day, and the sentences imposed by the Magistrate are to be concurrent with those already imposed. FIGHTING IN PUBLIC PLACE Arthur Russell Idiers and James Anderson Gibson pleaded guilty to charges of fighting in a public place on March 14. Sub-Inspector Crowley said both lads, who were good types, had been friends for years, and a difference having arisen between them, they had decided to settle it in their own way. *.**.«.' In convicting and discharging both accused, the Magistrate said there was a time and place for the settlement of a difference, and they had not chosen the right time nor the right place. REMANDED Mprßprt Pearce was remanded

Henry Herbert Pearce was remanded until March 22 on charges of stealing a bicycle valued at £ll, toe property of Catherine Ross, on September 13, with breaking and entering the dwelling house of Allan Hunter Patrick at Invercargill on June 2, and stealing goods to the value of £36, and of stealing a bicycle valued at £lO, toe property of Ellen Elizabeth Taylor. . , Charged with attempting to break and enter toe premises of the Kash and Karry Co-pp. at 224 Ferry road, Joseph Desmond Sumner, Leslie James Fraser, and Henry Hill Taylor were remanded until Each accused was allowed bail in toe sum nf £5O, and one surety of £5O.

COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE Joseph Lahood, aged 40 (Mr J. K. Moloney), pleaded guilty to' a charge of obtaining credit of £2l 9s from Wilfred Desmond Toomer. by fraud, and was committed to toe Supreme Court for sentence.