POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 21523, 22 September 1933, Page 11

POLICE COURT

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 22. [(Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) DOMESTIC’S THEFT. 'A girl twenty years of age pleaded guilty to a charge of the theft of a purse, a string of beads, and £4 in money. Chief-detective Young told the court that the accused was a domestic servant employed by the complainant and his wife. She took the money and' goods from the latter’s bedroom during her absence, and subsequently admitted the offence. Her employers were prepared to take her back. ■ _ The case was adjourned until Monday to enable Adjutant Coombs to submit a report, the accused’s name being suppressed. RECOGNITION OF WAR INJURIES. A man who had pleaded guilty to, two. charges of theft from motor cars appeared for sentence. Mr C. A. Hamer, who appeared for the accused, said that the inquiries made by the probation officer amply confirmed the statement that the accused had borne an excellent character, and that war injuries had brought about the lapse. A'S one who had sustained severe brain injury, he would show abnormality of conduct. The thefts were made without reason, as the relations were in a position to help him. The accused needed medical supervision, said Mr Hamer, who pleaded that no conviction should be entered. Chief-detective Young said that the accused was caught red-handed In one offence, but he would hot admit the other offence until it was sheeted home. There was a possibility that he might hare been responsible for other thefts. The Magistrate said that the circumstances of the thefts were such that if a man in normal health and mentality ■were charged he would have no hesitation in imposing a deterrent sentence. This class of offence deserved a sentence of imprisonment. The statements of the prosecution, counsel’s plea, and the very full report made by the probation officer showed , that the accused had Buffeted very severe head injury when on active service. As a result of the injury it was clear from the report of Dr Hay that he was riot normal, and that his reason was liable to be upset by drink. With some hesitation he had come to the decision not to enter a conviction, but to adjourn the case for two years, with the.right to the police to bring the matter on at any time. Conditions were that the accused was to be absosolutely prohibited during that period ; that he was to submit himself to medical examination monthly by Dr Hay or any medical man directed by the probation officer; and that restitution amounting to £3 10s was to be made .within throe weeks. NO CONVICTION. Further evidence was given in the case in which John Richard Kerr was charged with the theft of crockery valued at 10s, the property of Arthur •Davie, of Tomahawk. He was represented b/ Mr L. R. Simpson. Detective Taylor stated that he visited the accused’s house, where several articles of crockery were identified as Mr Davie’s. The accused, in evidence, admitted that the articles were in his house, but denied that he stole them. To the chief-detective the accused said that he did not ask his wife where the crockery came from. She and a man named Findlay brought it to the house. Stanley Thomas testified that he had seen Mrs Kerr in Mr Davie’s property. After hearing the evidence, His Worship said that ho did not propose to enter a conviction, and dismissed the charge. [Both Kerf and his wife were convicted on Monday last on a charge of theft of goods from another property at Tomahawk. This afternoon the court heard an application for separation, * maintenance, and guardianship orders by Mrs Kerr, on the grounds of failure to maintain, persistent cruelty, and habitual inebriacy.] RELIEF WORKER’S FALSE STATEMENT. Frederick William Ozanne pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the Unemployment Board so as to, obtain a benefit. Chief-detective Young said that, by false statements as to his intermittent employment and wages, the defendant had received £lB in excess relief work. His work was now reduced to one day a week, for which he received 8s on which to keep his wife and himself. He was a man of good character.

Defendant said ho had made the false statement as he could not keep his wife and himself on 23s weekly. He was afraid that his work would be reduced if be disclosed the full facts. The Defendant was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence if called upon within twelve months. CHIMNEYS ON FIRE. Samuel Henry Barnes, Frank William Barnett, and William Walter Fraser were fined 6s and costs for allowing chimneys to catch fire. CHARGES DISMISSED. Stephen Boreham and Alfred James Boyes were charged with .being unlawfully. on licensed premises.—Boreham claimed that he visited the hotel to see a member of the Taranaki Rugby team. —The Magistrate said that he would accept this explanation, and dismissed the charge. . . , The charge against Boyes (who was with Boreham) was also dismissed. On a further charge of procuring liquor while prohibited he was convicted and ordered to pay court costs of 10s. MOTORING BREACHES. For cutting a corner John Charles O’Brien was fined 20s and costs. Ernest J. Hope was convicted and discharged for driving a public motor car without a medical certificate. Henry Evans Edward Scott was charged with dangerous driving (crossing intersections on the Anderson’s Bay road at forty miles per hour), and was fined 30s and costs. NO LICENSES. Richard Murdock pleaded guilty to having apparatus for wireless for sale without a license. —Defendant said that he had made only £2 10s on the two machines sold by him, two other machines being sold to relations at cost price. He was out of work.—He was fined 20s and costs, time being allowed in which to pay . Fines were imposed on the following for being in' possession of unlicensed radio sets: J ohn Desmond Clark, Alexander Luskie, Isaac M'Queen, John Oaten, Noel Rodden, Clemens Schlaadt, Edward Scott, William On- Smellie, and Henry Woodger, all 5a and costs; James Maddon Caley ss, no costs. CRUELTY TO OATS. George Joseph Donaldson was charged with cruelly kicking a cat. He was represented by Mr I. B. Stevenson and pleaded not guilty. Harold Stanley Keen said that the kitten in question belonged to him and. as a result of what his children told him, he went and saw the defendant, who lived just across the road from him. Keen asked the defendant if ho knew anything of the cat, but Donaldson said that, apart from the fact that he had seen it in the street shortly before this, he knew nothing about it. Keen subsequently examined a telegraph post nearby, and found blood and fur on it, Clifford Keen, a son of the previous witness, said that he last saw the kitten playing in the gutter near Donaldson’s house. The boy said > that Donaldson walked over to the kitten and kicked it twice over the road. It struck a post and he then picked it up and carried it in to his own house. There was blood on the post. To Mr Stevenson, the boy said that he was certain it was their cat that Donaldson kicked. Margaret Chiswell, another child, gave corroborative evidence. Constable OlHffe said that he interviewed the defendant, who stated that two cats had been playing on the road, and when they came over towards his place he chased them away. He denied that he kicked either cat, The defendant, in evidence, said that he was working in his garden when an old grey cat came poking about the place. It was not a healthy animal. When it walked past him ho struck it across the head with a hoe and killed it outright. Later he picked it up and threw it over the footpath to the gutter, thinking that the dustman would pick it up the next morning. Ho then “ scuffled ” it across the street with his foot to be put in an ash tin, and remembered that the next day. was not ash dav. He thereupon took it back into his own place and put it in an ash tin. . . , The Magistrate intimated that he would go through the evidence during

the lunch adjournment and give his decision in the afternoon. After reviewing the evidence this afternoon His Worship said that he h(id no reasonable doubt that the children’s story was correct, and that Donaldson deliberately and cruelly kicked the cat across tho'road. There were discrepancies in the defendant’s evidence, and his explanation was a somewhat fantastic story. It was a brutal thing to do, and His Worship had some hesitation in not imposing a term of imprisonment, Donaldson was fined £6, with £1 7s costs. The default was fixed at 14 days’ imprisonment. . .