POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 21879, 16 November 1934, Page 12

POLICE COURT

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER IG. (Before Mr H. TV. Bundle, S.M.) BOY IN BILLIARDS ROOM. Arthur John Young Begg (Mr M. Joel), the owner of a South Dunedin billiards room, admitted a charge of allowing a person under sixteen to remain on the premises. Senior-sergeant Mac Lean said the charge arose out of a boy of fourteen getting drunk. The boy was of the hoodlum typo, and entered the room with others. Begg had his doubts of the boy’s ago and questioned him. He was foolish enough to he convinced by tho boy’s assurance, which belied his appearance. According to Sergeant M'Entcc, tho room had been well conducted hitherto. The drinking had not taken place on the premises. The boy had been dealt with in the Children’s Court. Mr Joel said a conviction might affect defendant’s license from the City Council. He was a man of good standing, and there was no suggestion of misconduct in his saloon. Counsel asked that the charge be dismissed as trivial, as he understood the police were not pressing for a penalty, but desired publicity. . . The charge was dismissed as trivial. DRUNKENNESS. Harold Borehara, who said he was on his way home when he was unlucky to be “ pinched,” admitted a charge of drunkenness and was fined 20s, in default twenty-four hours’ imprisonment. CYCLING WITHOUT LIGHTS. John Leslie Marston was fined 5s and costs for cycling without a light. A charge of not carrying a red reflector was withdrawn. Stanley George Williams was lined 5s and costs for cycling without a light, CHIMNEY ON FIRE. Francis William Mitchell was fined 5s and costs for permitting a chimney to catch fire, CYCLING ON FOOTPATH. William Thomas Golden was fined 5s and costs for riding a bicycle on a footpath. UNLAWFULLY ON LICENSED PREMISES. For being unlawfully on licensed premises John Skene was fined 10s and costs. , UNLICENSED WIRELESS. Edward Vance was fined 10s and costs for failing to license his wireless set. HAIRDRESSER CHARGED. George Richard Leggo was charged with operating an unregistered hairdresser’s shop, the magistrate adjourning the case for fourteen days to enable defendant to carry out certain work on his premises, defendant giving the court an undertaking that he would do no hairdressing until this necessary work was done.

BUILDING REGULATIONS. For repairing a building without a permit, T. Scurr Ltd. were nned 10s and costs. CHARGES AGAINST MOTORISTS. Charged with cutting a corner, Louis Phillips Cabot was fined 30s and costs. For operating a motor van without proper brakes, Charles Edward Baines was fined 20s and costs. Andrew Brown was fined 5s and costs for driving without a license. For driving a motor truck not equipped with proper brakes, Leslie Stanley Campbell was fined 20s and : “.Motor cyclists travelling as you were without a light are an absolute menace,” said the magistrate to William Ivan Watson, who was fined £2 10s and costs on. a charge of negligent driving, and was convicted and discharged for riding an unlighted motor cycleCOMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. Pleading guilty to, the theft on March 23 of £9O, the property of Mamaku Forests Ltd., David Adamson was committed to the Supreme- Court for sentence, Sophia Williamson, a married woman, residing at Pine Hill road, Dalmore, said that accused represented to her in March that ho was travelling for the sale of shares in Mamaku Forests Ltd. Witness agreed to take twenty shares, which she understood were to cost 810. On the first occasion, March 19, she paid the accused £2 as a deposit on the shares. The accused called again on March 23 and witness agreed to take further shares, making a total of 100. Accused gave her a receipt for £B, which was as a deposit for eighty shares. She subsequently paid the accused a further sum of £9O, the accused giving her a receipt for that amount. Witness paid him in all £IOO. Witness later received an official receipt from the accused for £9O. Sho subsequently received calls from the Mamaku Forests Ltd. for instalments on shares sho had paid the accused for. She saw the accused in tho street, and he said: “ You paid the money all right, and I sent it to the company.” Witness consulted her solicitors and subsequently received the receipt from the company, to which she was entitled.

Detective-sergeant Doyle said that on November 8 he interviewed the accused, who accompanied bijn to the detective office. The accused made a statement, and witness subsequently charged him with the offence, and he replied: “I am pleading guilty, and I do not wish any person to see me while I am in here.” The accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, bail being refused in- the meantime. CHARGE 'OF FRAUD. David Thomas Lilburne, for whom Mr W. H. Carson appeared, pleaded not guilty to a charge that in incurring liability to Jessie Emeline Gibbons for £1 12s 6d for board and lodging he obtained credit by fraud. Chief-detective Young told the court that the complainant kept a boarding house in Anderson’s Bay road. On September 11 last the accused called and asked for boaid and lodging, and said he was employed by the Fernhill Coal Company, and that he had an interest in a coal mine at Waitati. He said he would not be able to pay his board until September 13, and was given board and lodging. Two days later Lilburne told complainant he would pay her on September 20. He did not pay on that date, and the following day was in for tea. Ho left later, owing £1 12s 6d, and did not return. He bad cleared out without any notification. The matter was reported to the police, and they found the accused’s information that he was working for the Fernhill Coal Company was incorrect. In order to prove that this was .a systematic course of conduct on the part of the accused, the Chief Dctetive said he would call another widow woman who kept a boarding house. The accused had made representations to this woman and was allowed to stay twenty-nine weeks. He cleared out owing' £29 for board. Complainant gave evidence, and Margaret Todd said that the accused came

to her boarding house in Prince Albert road, St. Kilda, oil January 11 last, under the name of Milburn. He said he was a miner’s engineer, and said he had just come from the hospital. He said he would pay every fortnight, and would be a permanent boarder. Accused said he was going boring for coal, and employed ■witness’s son and another boarder. The accused stayed twentynine weeks, and paid no board nor did he pay witness’s son any wages. Witness’s son worked close on throe months for the accused, and received nothing. Mr Carson said that it had not been established by the police that the accused was not working for the Fcrnhill Coal Company. Chief-detective Young said that if the court hold that a prima facie case had not been established he would ask for a remand to enable Mr Robertson, of the Fernhill Coal Company, to be called. This witness had suffered a mishap and was unable to appear. The Magistrate said that it was very doubtful if Mrs Todd’s evidence was admissible. The Chief Detective submitted that the evidence was admissible, because it was going to prove that Lilburne was going about taking down poor widow women. The Magistrate said the evidence was insufficient at present, and on the Chief Detective’s application the accused was remanded until nest Fridaly, bail being renewed as before. CHARGE DISMISSED. After hearing the defendant’s explanation, the magistrate dismissed a charge against William Smith of being unlawfully on licensed premises. Defendant was represented by Mr W. H. Carson. COLL IS lON AFTERMATH. George William Jenncr (Mr E. J. Anderson) pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to give way to traffic on the right, the case arising out of a collision between defendant’s car and a bus at the intersection of St. David and King streets. The case was unfinished at the luncheon adjournment.