MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26212, 8 September 1950, Page 9

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

THURSDAY (Before Mr Rex C. Abernethy, S.M.) THEFT OF BICYCLE “Hundreds df bicycles go missing each year in Christchurch and the Court looks On their theft as a serious offence. Which may lead straight to gaol, even for a first offence,” said the Magistrate, when Herbert Martin Stewart (Mr J. G. Leggat) appeared for sentence on a charge Of Steal* ing a man’s bicycle valued at £l5, the property of Noel John Failoon. The Magistrate said that the Probation Officer’s report showed that accused had had some liquor at the time. “However, you have still got to pay some penalty,” he said. Stewart was fined £lO. THEFT OF CLOTHING ’Tt may well be that we have not properly touched on the problem of dealing with offenders of this .sort, but with the means we have at present and the possibility of this man being at large, there is nothing the Court can do but to sentence him to gaol,” said the Magistrate, when convicting Robert Keith Hammond, a labourer, aged 33 (Mr J. K. Moloney), on charges of stealing 20 pairs of women s panties and with trespassing On a racecourse, at Addington, being a person excluded from the course. Mr Moloney submitted that a term of imprisonment for accused would not ameliorate the position at all. Hammond was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment on the first charge and oh each, of the other charges he was convicted and discharged. (Before Mr Raymond Ferner, S.M.) REMANDED John William Irvine, a pastrycook, aged 40 (Mr W. G. P. Cuningham), who elected to, be tried bjr a jury, was remanded to October 6, on a charge of obscene exposure in a public place. granted in the sum of £5O, with' one surety of £5O, and accused was ordered to report daily to the police. Ruby Ryan, alias Ruby May Duncan, a domestic, aged 20, w r as remanded in custody until September 12 for a report by the Probation Officer on charges of being found drunk in a public place and with using obscene language in a public place. Margaret Renata, a waitress and factory hand, aged 27 (Mr B. G. Dingwall),- and Bonnie Olive Morehu, a domestic, aged 20, who were each deemed to be a rogue and a vagabond, having been previously convicted as idle and disorderly persons, were remanded in custody until September 12 for a report by the Probation Officer. .

Andrew Olive Muir, a railway serviceman, aged SB (Mr T. T. West), was remandecf to September 28 on a charge of indecently assaulting a girl, aged nine. Bail was renewed in the sum of £lOO with one surety of £lOO, and accused was ordered to report daily to the police. On a charge of being found drunk in charge'of a motor-car in Stanmore road on September 2, Gavin Arthur Northcote Woodham, a shunter, aged 32, was remanded until to-day. James Alexander McKegg (Mr T. T. West) was remanded until September 12 on a charge of stealing a man’s bicycle, valued at £7, the property of Warwick Faulkner Bates. Ball was fixed at £25, with one surety of £2B. IMPRISONMENT FOR ASSAULT “You are very fortunate you are riot being charged with something more serious,” said the Magistrate, when sentencing Archibald Skinner McKee, a timber foreman, aged 50, to two months’ imprisonment with hard labour, on a charge of assaulting Dorothy Farrell. Detective-Sergeant G. W. Alty said that When his wife was away, accused had gone to the flat of complainant and had attempted to make love to her. FALSE PRETENCES Thirteen charges of false pretences were preferred against Timothy Ronald McCarthy, a builder and joiner (Mr H. W Thompson). After hearing the evidence of 18 witnesses called by the police, the Magistrate adjourned the hearing until to-day, when six more witnesses will be called. McCarthy was charged with obtaining £57 from Vera Mavis Stanbridge by falsely representing he was manager of Reliable House Repair Specialists, and that Ire would build a room on a house at 217 Woodham road belonging to Frank Edward Stanbridge; with obtaining £95 and £lOO from Maria Elizabeth Mac Kay by falsely representing he was in a position to carry out alterations to a house at 107 Springfield road belonging to complainant; with obtaining £6 15s from Ada Nortontaylor by falsely representing that he was in a position to carry out renovations to a house at 30 Cashmere View street, belonging to complainant; with obtaining £7 10s from Athol Ernest Fletcher by falsely representing he was in a position to carry out renovations to a house at 82 Rose street belonging to complainant; with obtaining £4 from Evelyn Wood by falsely representing he was in a position to carry out repairs at 14 Portman street; With obtaining a cheque for £B9 from Laurence Sullivan by falsely representing that he would build a room on a house at 24 Cygnet street, belonging to complainant; with obtaining £lO from Frank Edward Stanbridge by falsely representing he was in a position to build a room on a house at 217 Woodham road; with obtaining £lO from Emily Dobson by falsely representing he was. in a position to carry out renovations to a house at 11 Kingsley street owned by complainant; with obtaining £3 from Helen Daisy Hall by falsely representing that he was iri a position to carry out renovations to a house at 30 Hastings street, the property of Edward Joseph Hall; with obtairiing £l6O from Arthur Retlaw Verran, by falsely representing that he was in a position to build a cottage .on a section at Diamond Harbour, belonging to the complainant; with obtaining £3 from Leonard Hampden Booth, by falsely representing that he was ifi a position to build a boundary fence on the property at 97 Innes road, owned by complainant- and with obtaining £3 from. Muriel Maud Tench by falsely representing that he was in a position to carry out renovations to a house at 74 Clare road, the property of the complainant. A similar charge of obtaining £lO from Ivy Amelia Roberts was withdrawn. McCarthy elected to oe tried by a jury on the charges that involved less than £5O. CIVIL CASES (Before Mr F. F. Reid, S.M.) CLAIMS FOR POSSESSION Judgment was given for Patrick John Bottreil, who claimed possession of a house at 265 Marshland road at present occupied by Lizzie Marsh, a widow. It was stated that there were two other houses on the same property, one of which was occupied by a married man with a family, and the other . Was not habitable.

Mr H. W. Hunter, who appeared for the plaintiff, said that Bottreil had purchased the property for a market garden. Long hours were spent at the property, and it was necessary for him to travel back and forth from Papanui. The Magistrate said the plaintiff had put his money into the property and that it was essential for him to live there. He ordered possession to be given on or before November 30.

A claim by Arnold Harold Wilkes (Mr J. B. Corbett) for possession of property at 128 Chester street, Occupied by J. Campbell (Mr L. H. Armstrong, Department of Labour), was adjourned sine die. A similar claim by Albert Samuel Craig and Margaret Craig (Mr Corbett) for possession of a house at 35 Cranley street, occupied by Irving Henry Elstob (Mr Armstrong), Was adjourned Slrte die. t JUDGMENT FOR PLAINTIFF Judgment for £4 Is 6d was given the plaintiff in a claim for £9 2s brought by Leslie G. Amos against John McDonald. The plaintiff was non-suited as to the balance. The plaintiff was non-suited in a claim of £3 19s 5d brought by L. G. Amos against Alexander C. Hammer. JUDGMENT SUMMONSES On judgment summonses, A. W. Hartshorne was Ordered to pay Dingwall Timber Processes, Ltd., and Timber Treatments, Ltd., £4B 8S 3d, in default 30 days’ imprisonment, the Warrant to be suspended as long as defendant pays £1 a week; Dorothy Cameron was ordered to pay Cash Order Purchases. Ltd., £4 14s, in default four days’ imprisonment. Raymond Edward Wilson was ordered to pay Cash Order Purchases, Ltd., £9 9s 6d, in default 10 days’ imprisonment; H. F. Wootton was ordered to pay Cash Order Purchases, Ltd., £9 18s 2d, in default 10 days' imprisonment. (Before Mr Rex C. Abernethy, S.M.) POSSESSION CLAIM Harold Chadwick Lamb and Dorothy Lamb (Mr H. P. Smith), proceeded against Muriel Mary Adcock (Mr L. H. Armstrong, of the Department of Labour) for possession of a, house property at 7( Wigan street. Sumner, on the grounds of greater hardship. After hearing evidence, the Magistrate said he was Inclined to think that the plaintiffs’ hardship was the greater because the life of the male plaintiff might well be shortened by the circumstances in which he was living. Because there were important deficiencies in the statement of Claim, however, the Magistrate said he would reserve his decision to determine whether the Court had any jurisdiction in a Claim based on such a statement. If there were no jurisdiction, a fresh action would have to be brought. Later, the Magistrate made an order for possesison on or before October 5.