"COURT FLOUTED"

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 136, 11 June 1942, Page 7

"COURT FLOUTED"

SUMMONS UNANSWERED

Fourteen days' hard labour was imposed by Mr. J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court today, on Frederick Stuart Reid, labourer and taxi-driver, aged 21, for failure to apply for enroll rnent in the First Division of the National Reserve. The police said Reid had absolutely flouted the Court by his non-appearance on a summons, and had treated Courts in both Dunedin and Wellington with contempt.

Senior-Sergeant G. Paine said Reid had been employed in Dunedin and was summoned there lor failure to enrol. Before the case^ was heard he came to Wellington." The case was called in Wellington, and Jwthen applied for an adjournment so. that he could attend a divorce case in Dunedin. That was granted and he was due back on a certain date, but instead orappearing he absolutely flouted the Court. Inquiries were started in Dunedin, but he had disappeared and had returned to Wellington. He had treated the Court in Dunedin and the Court in Wellington with contempt. He had now enrolled, but by failing to do so in 1940 had missed five ballots.

Mr. J. A. Scott, for the defendant, who pleaded guilty, said Reid had been interviewed in Dunedin and had filled in the necessary papers for registration at the Dunedin North police station. Counsel thought it was admitted that, although registration was effected then, Reid had never had a card showing him he had been accepted. He had had a considerable amount of domestic trouble. He said he was quite prepared to do his military duty, and counsel suggested a remand for two days to allow the military authorities to draft him.

The Magistrate said he thought Reid had been dodging rather too long. The authorities could pick him up after the sentence.