GAMING CHARGES

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 12, 9 October 1928, Page 7

GAMING CHARGES

FOUR CHINESE FINED ANOTHER RAID YESTERDAY Further prosecutions in connection with last Tuesday’s raid on gaming houses in Taranaki Street were proceeded with in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, when Wee Kee Fan, aged 34, Hedley Louis, aged 30, Low Bung, aged 71, and Sam Chong, aged 40, all pleaded guilty to keeping common gaming houses. Fan’s premises were situated at 147 Taranaki Street, Louis’s at 150 Taranaki Street, Bung’s at 158 Taranaki Street, while Sam Chong used a room at the corner of the street.

Chief-Detective WarA stated that Wee Kee Fan had been convicted on three occasions for keeping a common gaming house, and Low Bung had been fined £lO early in this year. The four accused were represented by Mr. A. J. Mazengarb. Referring to Low Bung and Wee Kee Fan, Mr. Mazengarb submitted that one of them suffered from bad eyesight, and could not work in the manner open to his fellow-countrymen, while the other, advanced in years, had drifted into the occupation with which he was charged. The position of the four men was somewhat diificult. They were not gamblers, but were really salesmen who sold tickets to Europeans. “The real offenders,” said Mr. Mazengarb, “are the foolish Europeans who buy these pakapoo tickets.” Counsel added that as the police had raided every gaming house in the street this would probably clean things up finally. The four accused were evidently not the controlling minds in regard to the offences. In regard to Wee Kee Fan and -Low Bung, the Magistrate (Mr. J. H. Salmon, S.M.) imposed a fine of £2O in each ease, with a default of three months imprisonment. Hedley Louis and Sam Chong were each fined £lO, in default six weeks’ imprisonment.

ANOTHER RAID Following on Mr. Mazengarb’s statement that the police had raided every gaming-house in the street, a party of detectives paid a surprise visit to No. 154 Taranaki Street yesterday afternoon and arrested four men, three of whom were dealt with in the Magistrate’s Court late in the afternoon. Their names were George Chipperfield (aged 34), James Kavanagh (aged 48), and William John Baker (aged o2). They each pleaded guilty to being found in a common gam-ing-house, and were each fined £2 and costs. The fourth man, a Chinese, who is alleged to be the keeper of the house, will appear before the Court this morning.