CITY POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 18804, 1 December 1924, Page 6

CITY POLICE COURT

Monday, December 1. . (Before Mr W. H. Bundle, S.M.) . ' ASSAULT. Walter. Janies Wallace appeared to answer a charge of drunkenness and another of assaulting Frederick Bennington. He pleaded guilty to both charges. Senior-servant Mathieson said that on Saturday afternoon Sergeant Turner and Constable Bentley wore informed that defendant was assaulting a man in Maclaggan street. They proceeded to the place, and when they were about 150yds away saw Wallace with his hat and coat off savagely punching Bonnington, who was face downwards on the ground. He continued his cowardly assault against this hdplessly-drvnk man until the Moment, that the police approached, when ho ran away. . Wallace said that the man was at his mother’s place and defendant asked him to leave. He was not wanted there. He refused to leave, and that was how the trouble started. Tim Senior Sergeant said that Bonmneton was a visitor from Timaru. Ho was an old friend of Wallace’s mother, at whose place ho stayed on Friday night. Bonnington was badly knocked about. The Magistrate: They were both drunk? The Senior Sergeant: That is so. Defendant was fined 10s, m default twenty-four hours, on the drunkenness charge, and 20s, in default forty-eight hours’ imprisonment, on the assault charge. “A CONSISTENT DEFAULTER.” J. D. Hopkins, described by the Grey mouth police as a consistent defaulter, applied for the cancellation of a maintenance order and the remission of arrears^ After hearing the evidence the magistrate said that he wouM remit the arrears hut lie would ce>rtain]y not cancel the order. FAILURE TO KEEP WIFE. Victor Spearman Beeby was charged with disobedience of a maintenance order for the support of his wife, the arrears amounting to £75 11s lid. Mr E. Forrester appeared for complainant and there was no appearance of defendant. Counsel said defendant was now resident in Auckland. Has trouble wis gambling. Defendant was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, the warrant to bo suspended so long as he pair! £2 a week in compliance with the order, and 10s a week off the arrears until the arrears wore paid off. FALSE STATEMENT. M. Stuart Holmes was charged withprocuring to be made by Charles Sylvan Harris a false statement in regard to the nature of certain goods —to wit, a. package of meat delivered upon the Government Railways by a consignment note in which the meat was described as vegetables. Charles Sylvan Harris was charged with making a false statement in regard to the above. Mr E. J. Anderson prosecuted. He said that the charges were laid under the Government Railways Amendment Act, 1922. It was illegal to make a false statement in, regard to goods delivered upon the railways. 'The position was that Holmes Had a small'sheep run at Knrtigi, and Harris was his manager. It had been their practice to have certain goods sent down. The package in question contained mutton. It was stated to have contained New Zealand-grown produce, for the, carriage of which there was a specially light rale. Tims, instead of costing 3s to send, it cost' Is 2d. Mr If. E. Barrowclough spoke on behalf of accused. The Magistrate said that such an offence would he very hard to detect. Holmes would he convicted and fined 40s, costs (7s), Crown Solicitor's fee (£3 ss). Hams would not he convicted. On the suggestion of Mr. Anderson the charge against Harris was withdrawn. Mr Barrowclough asked that publication of the names be forbidden, hut the magistrate did not agree to that. PERSISTENT CRUET/IT. Eileen Mary Simmons proceeded with a complaint for maintenance, separation, and guardianship orders against Ernest Edward Simmons on the ground of persistent cruelty towards complainant and her child. Complainant (for whom Mr Irwin''appeared) told of the cruelty with which she was treated by her husband. Evidence was also given by complainant’s sister, who said she had scon defendant push complainant through a window, throw knives at her, and generally ill-treat her. Other evidence was also called. The orders applied for were granted, maintenance being fi.xed at3o.s per week in the meantime. DRUNKENNESS. A first offender was fined 10s, in default twenty-four hours’ imprisonment,—Two other men were fined 20s (twenty-four hours), and a fourth was fined 2s 6d (twenty-four hours). John William Phillips was < fined 20s (twenty-four hours), and William Janies Bannatyne 13s 6d (twenty-four hours).