Magistrate's Court Theft Charge Dismissed; Conversion Admitted

Press, Volume XCVIII, Issue 28795, 16 January 1959, Page 6

Magistrate's Court Theft Charge Dismissed; Conversion Admitted

When Archibald Alfred Dann, a builder, entered his bach at Woodend, he found his rifle missing, bullet holes in a cupboard door and smashed dishes in the cupboard. On the floor of the bach were walnut shells, and a sack of coal had been emptied out. Further investigation revealed that the back door had been forced, . a window damaged and tinned food stolen. . Dunn told Mr N. M. Izard, S.M., this in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when Ernest William Hammond, aged 35 (Mr B. J. Drake) pleaded not guilty to charges that between September 14 apd September 27, 1958. he stole ajrifle and tinned food, valued at £35 Bs, the property of Dunn, and between November 19 and November 22, 1958, he stole a four gallon tin of oil and 6ft of hose, valued at £2 17s 6d, the property of the Isaac, Constructioh Company, Ltd. Hammond pleaded guilty to a further charge of unlawful conversion of a motor-truck, valued at £3OO, the property of Dudley David Moore. Harold Edward Small, a commercial traveller, said he saw. the accused leaving the batch, owned by Dunn, on a Thursday (he could not recall the exact date) and he was carrying a rifle and a sack. In evidence accused denied that Small had seen him leaving Dunn's bach but said he might have seen him in the Woodend Hotel. ‘‘l have a very strong suspicion that. he was responsible 'for breaking and entering but on the other hand I feel that the evidence is not strong' enough for me to enter a conviction and therefore the information is dismissed.” said the Magistrate. On the charge of theft from the Isaac Construction Company, Ltd.? the police prosecutor, Sergeant T. A. Marson said a shed owned by the company in Memorial avenue was broken into on November 19 and a tin of oil and 6ft of hose stolen. Detective - Constable Ronald Bridge said that he stopped the accused driving a truck, reported stolen from Templeton on November 11, in Papanui road, about 5.30 p.m. on November 21. The hose and the tin of oil were found in the back of the truck. Hammond said he had taken the truck from the back of the Papanui Hotel, where, he claimed, it had been parked for some days. He would not say who else had been using it, the detective said. Giving evidence, Hammond said he did not know the oil and the hose were in the truck and said they must have been there before he had taken it. “There is some doubt whether he actually took the hose and the tin of oil and, therefore, I' will dismiss the information,” the Magistrate said. On the charge of converting the truck, to which Hammond pleaded guilty, the Magistrate said he would remand the acqused to January 26 for a probation officer’® report. Bail was renewed in the sum of £5O with one surety of £5O. He was ordered to report to the police daily. , GAME OF CHANCE “He was giving the public something that it wanted,” said Mr D. W. Russell, for Allan Owen Barton, a showman, aged 46, who was charged with conducting a game of chance at the Canterbury Agricultural and Pastoral Show on Not vember 14. Barton, who pleaded guilty, was convicted and fined £l5 According to the police accused had been accepting bets from the public on a game of red, white and blue, v.hich was clayed on a large dart board covered with red. white and blue stripes. He had been acting as croupier, exhorting persons to bet on the game. Bets from 2s 6d to 10s had been taken from bystanders, some of whom were women and adolescents. A detective had stopped the game and taken possession of £32 16s 2d. “UNWISE CELEBRATION” The defendant took the risk of getting so drunk that he was incapable of controlling his actions and would have to take the consequences, said the Magistrate when he convicted and fined Michael John Giffin £lO on a charge of shoplifting from Woolworths. Ltd. Giffin, a 29-year-old woolclasser. pleaded guilty to the offence and was represented *by Mr M. D. Hodgins. > _ Sergeant V. F. Townshend said that on Christmas Eve the section manager of the shop noticed that Giffin was drunk and was annoyingt women customers. Accused picked in some gramophone records valued at £4 12s 6d and started to leave the shop. He told the police he did not remember taking the records. According to Mr Hodgins Giffin s offence was the culmination of a “day of unwise celebration.” He had started drinking in the morning at a country hotel and travelled to Christchurch, “reviving the seasonal spirit” at each hotel he passed FINED £5 For failing to return Army clothing Alistair Robert McMillan was fined £5 and ordered to make restitution of £23 6s 7d. Pleading guilty to the offence, he claimed that he had left the clothing at a house from which he had moved and it.had been burned by the occupant FIREWORKS OFFENCE Brian Leslie, aged 17, was fined £5 for letting off fireworks in a public place on November 5. He pleaded guilty. On further charges of cycling at night without front and rear lights he was fined £l. THEFT OF GOODS Tony Andrew Stratford, aged 21. pleaded guilty to charges of breaking and entering and theft of goods, valued at £2 10s 2d. at Belfast, on December 28 and of receiving stolen goods on December 27. He was represented by Mr B. J. Drake. The accused and a 13-year-old boy. who will appear in the Children’s Court, were seen by a police constable in the early hours of December 28 cycling towards town from Belfast. Sergeant Townshend said. When the bags on their bicycles were searched the stolen goods were discovered. The day before the 13-year-old boy gave the accused some chocolate and cigarettes, which had been stolen, he said. Stratford was remanded to January 19. FALSE PRETENCES Robert William Kinnaird, aged 19, an assistant linesman, was remanded to January 26 for a probation officer’s report when he pleaded guilty to a charge of obtaining credit coupons to the value of £l2 5s from Hay’s, Ltd., by false pretences. Represented by Mr P. G. Sa Petilington, he was granted bail in the sum of £5O, with one surety of £5O. ILLEGAL ENTRY Wladyslaw Kosacki, aged 38. a seaman. pleaded guilty to a charge of illegally entering New Zealand at Dunedin on December 12. He was ordered to be detained for three months pending deportation. An application" for bail to enable him to work until his deportation was refused. THEFT CHARGES On a charge of theft of two pairs of socks valued at Ils ’ 2d on December 24, a woman, aged 42. whose name was suppressed, was remanded to January 26 for a probation officer’s report. Represented by Mr D. H. Godfrey, she pleaded guilty. Bail was allowed in the sum of £5O. A 42-year-old married woman, whose name wag suppressed, pleaded guilty to three charges of theft of

goods, valued at £3 16s sd, on November 26. ' Represented by Mr J. A. Bretherton, she was remanded to January 26 for a probation officer’s report. Bail was allowed in the sum of £5O. CHARGE ADJOURNED A charge of theft of a surf-casting reel, valued at £8 19s 6d. the property of J. F. Hargrave, Ltd., against EH Townsend, aged 42. was adjourned to January 25 to enable a S rotation officer's report to be oblined. Townsend pleaded guilty. The police said the accused had sold the reel with a fishing rod to a second-hand dealer, who discovered it was stolen when he inquired the price from J. F. Hargrave, Ltd. The accused had been employed as a storeman by the company, out had been dismissed before it had been discovered the reel had been stolen. REMANDED Charged with negligent driving causing death on December 18 at Christchurch, a 23-year-old man, who was granted interim suppression of his name, was further remanded to January 22. “I am asking for a further order for suppression of his name as his mother is in ill-health and he is working in a shop in the suburbs,” said Mr B. J. Drake. Bail in the sum of £2OO, with a surety of £2OO, was renewed. He was ordered to report to the police is a mental background to this case,” Mr J. G. Leggat told the Magistrate, when appearing for a 20-year-old youth, who was granted interim suppression of his name, and was charged with attempted rape at Christchurch on January 9, 1959. He was remanded to January 21. Lionel Frederick Timmings (Mr G. S. Brockett) was remanded to January 22 on a Charge of breaking and entering the Blenheim Road Garage on November 12. Asking for bail for the accused, Mr Brockett said: “He is a married man with a wife and one child, and has had no previous convictions. It is only since a recent business association that he has been in trouble, and he has already been in custody since December 17.” Bail was granted in the sum of £2OO with one surety of £2OO. and he was ordered to report to the police daily. On charges of breaking and entering the Riccarton Working Men’s Club on November 11 and false pretences to the value of £lOOO. Ronald John Jorgensen, aged 26. was remanded to January 28. Harold Joseph Oakes, aged 23. was remanded to January 22 on a charge of false pretences to the value of £lOOO. An application for bail was refused. James Bryce Young, aged 33 (Mr J. G. Leggat). was further remanded to January 26 on a charge of driving while under the influence of drink or drugs. Bail was renewed. A 53-year-old woman, who was granted interim suppression of her name, was further remanded to Janary 29 on a charge of causing actual bodily harm with Intent to do grievous bodily harm at Christchurch on December 13. Counsel for the woman, Mr W. F. Brown, said* she was being examined under the Mental Health Act. Peter John Chapman (Mr G. S. Brockett) was remanded in custody to January 22 on a charge of being a prohibited immigrant. On a charge of stealing golf clubs worth £7 10s at Temuka on October 18, 1958, Alan Gerald Ridley, aged 29 (Mr B. J. Drake), was remanded to January 22. A further charge of committing bigamy at Christchurch on November 11 was adjourned to the same date. Bail was renewed at £lOO, in accused’s own recognisance, and one surety of £lOO. A charge of committing bigamy at Christchurch on November 28 against Dorothy Kathleen Whitlock was adjourned to January 22. She was represented by Mr R. J. de Gold!. TRAFFIC PROSECUTIONS In traffic prosecutions brought by the Transport Department, convictions were entered and fines Imposed as follows (Court costs of £1 10s being additional on each charge). Exceeding 30 miles an hour: Hugh Albert McSaveney, £3; Owen Frederick Martini, £2; Owen Joseph Murphy,£2; Alexander Nlmmo, £2: Cona Irena Wright, £2; David William Webber, £2 (no warrant of fitness, ordered to pay costs, exceeding 30 miles an hour when rider and pillion rider not wearing safety helmets, £2); Clifford Birch, £1 (two charges of exceeding 30 miles an hour without safety helmet, £2, £2); William Frederick Collins, £2; Eric Johnson, £3; Robert Sydney King. £2. Carrying pillion passenger when restricted to L plates: Errol Bertram Price, £3; Peter Adrian Haliday, £3. \ Failing to stop at compulsory stop: Patrick Kennedy Skedden, £2. No warrant of fitness: Stanley Patrick Delaney, 10s (using unlicensed vehicle, £3). Failing to stop at school patrol sign: Jeanie Busby, £5. Crossing railway line against signal: Allan James McMurtrie, £5. Driving without due care and attention: Errol Frederick Frith, £1 (unauthorised registration plate, £1).