MAGISTRATE’S COURT MEN FINED AFTER FIGHT IN STREET

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30316, 17 December 1963, Page 12

MAGISTRATE’S COURT MEN FINED AFTER FIGHT IN STREET

A group of 10 Maoris left the New Railway Hotel and started to fight amongst themselves in Manchester street on Saturday, said Detective-Sergeant A. G. I. Rodgers in the Magistrate’s Court yesterday. During the fight a plate-glass window was broken, and four of the men were arrested. Before the Court were Peter James, aged 23, Nicholas Thompson, aged 22, Brian Smith, aged 22, and Jock Te Mutu Rikihana, aged 19, who pleaded guilty to behaving in a disorderly manner in Manchester street on December 14. Each was fined £lO by Mr E. A. Lee, S.M. On a charge of wilfully damaging a plate-glass window, James and Thompson were each ordered to pay costs and to make restitution of £23 ss. Both pleaded guilty. DISCHARGED John Hammond, aged 51, was discharged without conviction, subject to paying £5 towards the cost of the prosecution and court costs, on a charge of obstructing a traffic officer in the execution of his duty on December 14, A charge of assaulting a traffic officer was dismissed. Hammond pleaded not guilty to both charges. Traffic Officer E. A. Lapslie said he saw Hammond standing on a pedestrian crossing in Seaview road, New Brighton. He was leaning against the radiator of a car and shouting to the witness. The witness said that after talking to the driver of the car he let him go. and then he asked Hammond to move off the road. Hammond said he would not until the driver of the car was arrested. Traffic was banking up, and Hammond was arrested after refusing to move, said the witness. He added that he got an elbow jolt across his left arm and ribs and another one as Hammond was being put into a taxi. Hammond said in evidence that a car shot in front of him and his wife. He was upset by this and stood in front of the car and called to the traffic officer. He said he was agitated. Hammond was suffering from a misguided sense of injustice but his duty was to obey the traffic officer’s orders, said the Magistrate. FALSE PRETENCES In seven days in November, two men used a stolen cheque-book to obtain- more than £6O worth of goods and money, the Court was told. The two men, Robert Charles Flutey, aged 25, and Barry George Davis, aged 21, pleaded guilty to four charges of obtaining money and goods by false pretences, and to one charge of attempted false pretences. Davis pleaded guilty to three separate charges of obtaining money and goods to the value of £33 Os 6d. by false pretences, to one charge of obtaining credit by fraud, and to a charge of receiving eight stolen cheque forms. Flutey pleaded guilty to separate charges of forgery of a cheque for £8 10s 6d, burglary at 31 Balfour terrace. obtaining credit by fraud, and false pretences. They were represented by Mr G. D. G. Bailey. Both were remanded in custody to Friday for sentence. SIX MONTHS’ GAOL Graham Rowlands, aged 23. was sentenced to six months' imprisonment when he appeared for sentence on two charges of burglary, and a charge of obtaining £l4 12s by false pretences. On a charge of unlawfully taking a bicycle he was convicted and discharged. DISCHARGED Although John William McLennan had money owing and friends, he made the foolish choice of sleeping in a shed. hL counsel, Mr J. Bisphan. MM. McLennan, aged 40, Who pleaded guilty to a charge of being idle and disorderly in that he bad insufficient means of support, was discharged without conviction. Detective-Sergeant Rodgers said that McLennan was found sleeping in a shed at 100 Bealey avenue. FINED £3 Pleading guilty to a charge

of being drunk in charge of a bicycle in Riverlaw terrace on December 15, Arnold Skilling. aged 34, was fined £3. in default four days’ imprisonment. REMANDED After pleading not guilty, Leslie Hannan, aged 25, was remanded on bail to December 20 on a charge of peering into a dwelling at 458 Gloucester street on the night of December 14. Graeme Charles Talbot, aged 22, charged with assault on December 14, was remanded on baiil to January 22. Charged with theft of copper wire valued art £3O at Rangiora in October. Allan Desmond Ashwell, aged 39. was remanded on bail to January 14. He had elected trial by Jury. Charged with driving while under the influence of drink or drugs in Wrights road on December 12, Thomas Duncan Gordon, aged 54, was remanded on bail to December 20. Charles Edgar Joseph White, aged 42, was remanded on bail to December 20 on changes of stealing a cheque form on November 29 and attempted false pretences on the same date. Peter Brian Meadows, aged 26, was remanded on bail to December 20 on a charge of stealing £lO on or about October 16. Roderick Tohill, aged 69, charged with driving at Sockbum while under the influence of drink or drugs on December 14, was remanded on bail to January 20. Dorothy Ada Thompson, an airwoman, was remanded on bail to December 20 on a charge of false pretences to the value of £26 on May 26. (Before Mr K. H. J. Headifen, S.M.) FINED £3O A fine of £3O was imposed on Brian Pringle, aged 22 (Mr M. J. Glue), when he appeared for sentence on a charge of car conversion on November 11. Mr Glue said that Pringle met with early success as a trotting driver and gained considerable fame and money. “He was surrounded by a group of worthless associates who dropped him as soon as he lost his position as a celebrity,” said Mr Glue. Alcohol was Pringle’s sole prop, which got him into a tremendous amount of trouble, Mr Glue said. The Magistrate advised Pringle to take medical treatment. PROBATION BREACH Tony Graham Edkins, aged 24, was fined £l2 when he appeared for sentence on a charge of committing a breach of probation on November 18. TWO YEARS' PROBATION Robert Graham Tofts, aged 18 was placed on probation for two years when he appeared for sentence on a charge of unlawfully taking a car at Queenstown on November 27. He was also ordered to pay £lO towards the cost of the prosecution. On a charge of wilfully damaging a telephone at Frankton, for which he appeared for sentence, Tofts was fined £5 and ordered to make restitution of £3 18s lOd.