Second conviction for bookmaking brings $750 fine

Press, 16 June 1978, Page 8

Second conviction for bookmaking brings $750 fine

A sickness beneficiary, Ronald William Ross, aged 45, was convicted and fined $750 by Mr P. J. McAloon, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday on a charge of acting as a bookmaker. Ross, who pleaded guilty, was reminded by the Magistrate that it was his second conviction for bookmaking, the first being only nine months ago. ‘This time 1: will impose a fine but if youj offend against the Gaming’ and Lotteries Act again you; will be sure to go to prison.”; Sergeant R. H. said that on April 25 a plain clothes officer on gaming duty visited the public bar of ’ a Christchurch hotel; where he saw a number of, patrons hand sums of money I to the defendant, who was J serving as a barman at the time. He also saw the de-1 fendant use the telephone; several times and heard con-; versation about horses and; race meetings. During the 90 minutes the I plain clothes police officer remained in the bar hei placed three bets with the' defendant. On May 14, when ques-[ tioned by the police, the de-i fendant admitted having; taken bets from the police; officer. He said he was only bookmaking in a small way. ; Counsel (Mr W. H. McMenamin) said the day of, the offence was Anzac Day and the T.A.B. was not open early in the morning. His . client took no more than 10 ; bets and these had been be- ; cause he had been pressed ' to take them by .friends. The police officer had been introduced to the defendant; by a friend of his. According; to the defendant, said Mr! McMenamin, the officer hadji "forced” the bets on his|i client. “To add insult to in- I 'jury’, they were three; winning bets,” he said. Since his previous conviction for bookmaking the de-i fendant had, to a large!; degree, tried to keep away! from bookmaking but on the! present occasion had found ji it hard to turn away his;< friends, said counsel. I,

It was, he submitted, a fairly minor case of book-; making among friends, only; small bets having been in-) volved.

, GAMING OFFENCE i Ken Fasi, a bus driver, 1 aged 36, was remanded with- , put plea to June 29 on a 5 charge of carrying on the j business of a bookmaker on May 6. The remand was sought by ’ the police because the defeni dant had gone to Auckland because of a family bereaveJiment. DRUG CHARGE I Michael Allan Britwell, '(aged 26, a student, was re- ’ manded in custody to July I 12 for the taking of depositions on a charge, under lithe Misuse of Drugs Act, of '(having cannabis leaf in his ('possession for the purpose '[of sale to persons of or over [I the age of 18. The alleged ■offence occurred on June 7. ! Paul John Warren, aged '125, a picture framer, was ' also remanded in custody to I July 12 for the taking of depositions on an identical [charge. Warren is represented by Mr M. A. Bungay,: |of Wellington. ATTEMPTED MURDER CHARGE ) Bail was again opposed by; jthe police when Michael (Thomas Edward Charles,; (aged 21, a blocklayer, was) further remanded to July 13 ■for the taking of depositions; on a charge of attempted (murder. Charles is charged (with attempting to murder) Robert Lindsay Ray in Christchurch on June 7. I The charge relates to an incident at Mount Pleasant; when a rifle shot was fired; into Mr Ray’s house in' Soleares Avenue. While in custody al psychiatric report on the de-; [fendant will be prepared, i THREATENING MANNER I Thomas Barcley, aged 18, (a storeman, threatened a man with a wool hook after being told by a man that a I hotel car-park was not intended for use as a race | track. Barcley, who pleaded' [guilty to a charge of behav-l i ing in a threatening manner; in the car-park of the Imperial Hotel on June 14, was! convicted and remanded to: June 22 for a probation re-1

port and sentence. Sergeant M. P. Caldwell' said the complainant, who I I worked in the hotel’s bottle! istore, had heard the defend-'

i ant drive into the car-park r,|and to the bottle store with >- his tyres squealing and had a 1 told him that it was not a e race track. n: The defendant had grabbed | a wool hook from his car. y!He had raised it while faci- ing the complainant and had d; sworn at him. The com-:-plainant had gone inside the hotel and had complained to (the police. I,] In explanation, the defendi- ant had told the police that y he thought he was going to -be punched by the comr plainant and so had prof duced the hook. ® THEFT CHARGE e Poinciana Kamarni Waata. I aged 17, unemployed, plead--led guilty to three charges .! relating to the theft of a cheque-book on May 30. She was convicted and re- ' manded to June 22 for sen--7 tence. *( She faced one charge of ’[theft of the cheque-book, ’■and two of using it with instent to defraud. The court was told that ! Waata had taken the cheque■book from a jacket hanging Ilin the women’s toilets at .[the Christchurch Hospital. i|She had written out a I cheque for $37, which was ; cashed at a dairy by a fell[low offender, who will be II charged in connection with 'ithe offence. Waata also 11 wrote out another cheque I for $37 which she cashed (herself the next day. She had then given the I) cheque-book to a third peril son, who used several I cheques and will also be i charged. '((Before Mr J. S. Bisphan, S.M.) BURGLARY CHARGE On a charge of the attempted burglary of the Somerfield Pharmacy. David Walton Feeney was sentenced to six months jail. Feeney, who earlier had admitted the offence, comImitted on June 1, was also 'put on probation for 12 months, a spec' I condition of this being that he under!take treatment for his drug (addiction. I The Magistrate said the

defendant had already burgled four chemist's shops | this year and that he could ) hardly expect further leniency from the courts.