MAGISTRATE’S COURT

Press, Volume LXXXVI, Issue 26263, 7 November 1950, Page 3

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

MONDAY (Before Mr Rex C. Aberrtethy, S.M.) ‘ FIRED .303 RIFLE IN CITY Arthur William Joseph Sparrow, aged 20, an apprentice carpenter, pleaded guilty to a charge that, on October 18, he discharged a .393 rifle jn Bealey avenue. Detective-Sergeant E. G. Ward said that Sparrow took his father's rifle to shoot a cat. The bullet passed within a foot or two of a man working in a, garden, skiinmed the back of the cat and removed a £ew hairs; went through a »’ence, just missed a woman in her gardden in Derby street, went through an upstairs window of her house and ricochetted from the wall of the room to the wall of the landing. Sparrow was lucky he was not facing a charge of manslaughter. %

The Magistrate said It was a very senseless thing to do. If Sparrow had been in work the fine would have been much heavier.

THEFT OF BICYCLE Samuel Jones, aged. 42, a labourer and seaman, pleaded guilty to a charge that, on October 26. he was found in possession of tickets which, there was reasonable cause to believe, were designed to be used in an illegal lottery. Jones pleaded not guilty to a charge that, on February 3. he stole a bicycle, valued at £l5, the property of William Ernest Gibbons. He was convicted and fined £l5 on each charge.

William Ernest Gibbons, giving evidence on the theft charge, said his bicyqle was stolen from outside Ballantynes on February 3. On the evening of October 26, he saw the bicycle outside a hotel and waited until 6 p.m. Jones came out of the hotel and was taking the bicycle away when witness spoke to him. Jones said he got the bicycle second-hand at Tlmaru.

Jones, in- evidence, said he won the bicycle in a raffle at a hotel at Timaru in March. He would not give the . name of the hotel or of the persons with whom he stayed at Timaru. The Magistrate said that the story did not ring true. He was disposed to send Janes to prison for the theft of the bicycle, but would not do so in this instance. He was going to see that the Crown got some of the money Jones had. ON ENCLOSED PREMISES' John Riley, aged 25, a plastic moulder, pleaded guilty to a charge that, on November 4. he was found without lawful excuse, but in circumstances that did not disclose the intention to commit any other offence, in the garden at 30 Charles street, the property of William Donald Anderson. He was fined £lO.

Sub-Inspector J. J. Kearns said that Riley was caught by the householder at 11.40 p.m., and had no explanation for being -there. • He was just a straight out "peeping Tom." COMMITTED FOlt TRIAL Lloyd George McLoughlin, aged 23, a die caster (Mr D. J. Hewitt), pleaded not guilty to' two • charges of wilful and obscene exposure >in Barbadoes street on September 21 *arfd September 27. He was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. He was allowed bail in his owrt recognisance of £5O and two sureties of £5O each, conditional on his reporting daily to the police. When the question of baiL was raised. Detective Sergeant E. G. Ward, who prosecuted, said that McLoughlin had already been committed to the Supreme Court for trial on another COMMITTED FOR SENTENCT William James Davis, aged 27, a labourer, pleaded guilty to charges that, on June 17, he broke and entered the premises of Al Carriers. Ltd., at 118 Tuam street, and committed theft;, that on June 20 he attempted to break and enter the premises of Woolworths (N.Z.), Ltd., Colombo street, Sydenham,, with intent to commit a crime; and ihat on June 21. at Sumner, he broke and entered the Hollywood Theatre and committed theft. He was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.