Magistrate’s Court YOUTHS FINED £5 FOR FIGHTING IN SQUARE

Press, Volume XCVII, Issue 28746, 18 November 1958, Page 9

Magistrate’s Court YOUTHS FINED £5 FOR FIGHTING IN SQUARE

I Remarks about the clothes of, ! one of- the accused were believed I Ito have started an argument’ i which led to a fight in Cathedral ■square near the Godley plot on I Saturday evening, said Sergeant E. S. Tuck in the Magistrate's! Court yesterday. Ashley Michael Patrick Keith. ’ aged 17. a radio mechanic, and Tej Rua Karaka Ngata. aged 17, a. workman, were each fined £5 by Mr N. M. Izard, S.M., when they pleaded guilty to fighting.! Peter John Huddleston, aged 17, a stoker on H.M.N.Z.S. Pukaki.i was fined £5 for using obscene! language, and Robert Edward' Tikao, aged 17. a wool classer.

was fined £5 for behaving in a disorderly manner. Both pleaded guilty. The charges arose from an incident in Cathedral square about 7.15 p.m. on Saturday, said Sergeant Tuck. Constable W. Mather was questioning a youth when he saw Keith and Ngata exchanging blows. Tikao, who showed some signs of having liquor but who was not drunk, intervened. Constable Mather told them to stop, but they continued.to fight. When the youths were taken into custody Huddleston demanded that they be released. Sergeant Tuck said. Huddleston was warned to go away, but he continued to interfere, and then used obscene language. Keith asked that his name be suppressed, as he was in a Government job. but this was refused

by the Magistrate. TWO MEN FINED Leonard Desmond Turvey, aged 25. a showman, and Thomas William Gray, aged 18. a shearer, were each fined £5 when they < pleaded guilty to fighting outside a milk bar in Cathedral square on Salu rday. ASSAULT CHARGE FAILS ' Walter John Gibson, aged 21, . was fined £5 when he pleaded guilty to a charge of fighting tn Hereford street on November 8 , with Frederick Hamilton. He : pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting a constable in the execution of his duly and this charge was dismissed Constable Edmond John Stackhouse said that about 10.10 p in. on November 8 he was on duty m . Hereford street when he saw two men fighting. He told them to stop, but they took no notice. He stepped in and pushed both men aside, and as he did this Gibson attempted to knee him in the groin. The witness said he stepped back quickly and the blow grazed along the side of his leg It was a deliberate attempt by Gibson which could have had very nasty

results. Gibson then said he \va: sorry, but he had not recognised him as a policeman, said the witness. He was wearing his uniform at thvj time. Both men were arrested, i' The other man had been dealt I with. Gibson, giving evidence, said; he admitted that he had been fighting, but denied deliberately assaulting the constable. The per-1 son with whom he was fighting! had friends in the crowd, and the; first thing he knew was that he was seized by a hand He turned. 1 automatically and threw a blow.’ and it was only then that her realised it was a constable. j For the charge of assaulting a . constable to succeed it had to be 1 proved that 1 Gibson had intern to do so, said the Magistrate He did not think Gibson intended to ; assault the constable, so the charge would be dismissed. Gibson had one conviction tor . fighting, said Sergeant Tuck, who prosecuted. YOUTHS IN FIGHT A constable whose attention was drawn by a disturbance near thef Godley plot in Cathedral squate at 7.10 p.m on Novembei 14 found a group of youths arguing ! Among them were two youths with • blood on their faces and other marks suggesting a fight, said Sergeant Tuck when prosecuting Lyall Dudley Gay. aged 19. and Lionel Barry Quill, aged 7. both workmen, on a charge of fighting ’ Both pleaded guilty. '

I Quill was represented by Mr’ IS. H. Wood. Gay was not represented. ■ Gay, who had previous convic- | tions. was fined £6, and Quill, a first offender, was fined £3. Sergeant Tuck said that when [questioned by the constable the ! •youths admitted fighting before' I the constable’s arrival. The fight had arisen from ai I sudden blow from Gay in what! Quill had thought to be a friendly 'argument, said Mr Wood. Quill, I [ being the youngest of three! ! brothers, automatically defended; ! himself when attacked in this I “It was an unusual and isolated I 'action which he now regrets,” !Mr Wood said. Quill was already! committed to paying off £3OO at I £2 a week. lie had paid about, £lOO of the sum. DRIVER FINED £3O Hadley Morris Moyle, aged 23. ■ pleaded guilty to driving while, under the influence of liquor or, drugs. He was represented by! Mr P. G. S. Penlington. He was: fined £3O. had his licence can-, celled and was disqualified from; obtaining another for three years. I On a charge of having no warrant[ of fitness he was coi vicled and fined £1 10s. Sergeant Tuck said that Moyle, i was seen driving his car alongl 1 the middle of Moorhouse avenue, lat a high speed about 7 p.m on ! November 8 He braked hard to [turn into Durham street, and the' car tended to roll around. When! 1 the car stopped it was facing in: the opposite direction. Moyle smelt of liquor, his speech was shirred and he was unsteady on his feet. Sergeant Tuck said j Later he was certified as unfit: to drive. Mr Penlington submitted that it; was not unusual for persons to! drive their motor-vehicles down the middle of Moorhouse avenue Moyle was intending to make a right-hand turn into Durham street, but his early-model car had weak springs, and this tended to give it the rolling effect. “Moyle has built up a reasonable amount of assets." he said "He is getting married in a week, and on the day of the breach o! the law he was colebating his birthday." He had had previous traffic con-[ victions. but "he appears to be I of excellent character and this! unfortunate breach has brought [ him into Court today.” he said ‘ The Magistrate said that as the; accused's previous record was not j serious he would not impose a| term of imprisonment. ASSAULT "There are difli ulties in determining the truth in those matters." said Mr A. Hearn during the hearing of a charge against (Oswald Sponsor, aged 30. a hair-j , dresser, of assaulting his wife., [Frances Spencer Spencer pleaded! i Sergeant Tuck said the policej were called to the ac: med's home flat? on November 8 and found ! hi: wife in a distressed condition "S'ie was cut across the! i bridge of the nose and on hei , ' lips." he said She also com- ■ i plained "f a pun in the back., [where she said Spencer had kicked her. She alleged that an .argument had started at a party 'at a friend's place, and on the way home Spencer had dragged her from the car and punched

and kicked her He dragged her back in the car. took her home; and there continued to kick her. said Sergeant Tuck. “Mrs Spencer ran over to a friend's place and rang the police,” he said. Mi Hearn said that Spencer did [not admit any more than having! struck iiis wife across the face, with an open hand The trouble! arose over a certain matter which, happened live years ago. When! he went to the party with his wife, he discovered that the man who was concerned m the matter five

was concerned m the matter five I years ago was there, he said ) “These very unfortunate circumstances do not excuse you for assaulting your wife.” said the Magistrate. convicting Spencer and imposing a tine of £lO. ATTEMPTING TO DRIVE On a charge of attempting to drive a motor-vehicle’while under the influence of drugs or liquor, John Henry Mervyn Littlewood, aged 40, a boiler attendant, was convicted and lined £25 His licence was cancelled, and he was disqualified from obtaining another for three years. At 515 p.m on October 31. a constable saw the accused silting hn his car al New Brighton with [the motor running, after he had I been warned not to drive it because of his condition. Sergeant [ luck said. Littlewood w ? as taken jto the Central Police Station and! [ charged [ Counsel for Littlew’ood (Mr R.[ lA. Young) said it was clear that I Littlewood was intoxicated when he got into the car. He said (the accused had been going to the beach on the days when he worked night shift. The strong [ sun had affected him. and with a | few drinks in the afternoon he could not remember anything [until he was taken to the Central Police Station, he said ' The day before his arrest nc had been to the beach and later [ when h< had a few drinks in town ; tie felt sick On that occasion i he had gone to the traffic department of the Christchurch Citv : Council and left his car keys to ; orevent himself from driving, he :said. | The Magistrate? said he must accept the evidence, and convict Littlewood REMANDED Francis Lewis Gibson and Edward Arthur Halligan, who were [both charged with attempting to obtain money oy false pretences, [were remanded in custody to November 24. Further inquiries had ■to be completed, said Sergeant , Tuck. [ Leo Cyril Beri. aged 41. was remanded to November 24 on a charge of bookmaking on November 14. Bail was renewed.