POLICE COURT

Evening Star, Issue 25995, 9 January 1947, Page 6

POLICE COURT

THURSDAY, JANUARY 9. 1947. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) REMANDED. Henry James Cuthbertson (33), charged with unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl over 12 and under 16 years of age, was remanded until January 15. Charged with receiving three and aquarter yards of tweed overcoat material, valued at £2 14s 8)d, the property of the New Zealand Shipping Company Ltd., knowing the material to have been dishonestly obtained, William Lindsay Madigan, a wharf labourer, was remanded until January 23. Bail was allowed in accused’s own recognisance in the sum of £25, a condition being that he report twice weekly to the police. , COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. Raymond' Hanna Lavender, a labourer, aged 31, was charged with breaking and entering by day the dwelling of James Toru Kingi Dodds, and stealing a watch valued at £6 6s 6d. James Toru Kingi Dodds, railway foreman, living at 119 Stafford street, said that he had been awakened about 2.30 p.m. on September 6 by the opening of his bedroom door. The accused was in the room and asked if Mrs Hanna lived there. Being told that she did not, the accused apologised and left. Knowing that his wife would be out, witness rose and went to see if the accused had gone. He then found evidence that the _ accused had entered by a window which had been left slightly open, and that' a wrist watch had disappeared from a sideboard in* the living room. Witness identified the watch produced as the missing one, though an attempt had been made to erase initials which had been scratched on the back. _ Alfred Walker, second-hand dealer, said that the accused had called at his shop in Broadway and offered the watch for sale. Witness offered £3 10s_ and this was accepted and a receipt given. The accused had stated that he had been given another watch and did not want the one he offered for sale. , Detective Frederick Herse produced a statement made by the accused, in which he admitted the theft and the sale of the watch. The accused had added that lie had gone to the house m Stafford street with a view, to locating an aunt who, he knew, lived in that street. He had money at the time, he said, and there was no reason why lie should have committed the’theft. Accused, who was not represented by counsel, pleaded guilty and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. The accused was further charged with disobedience of a maintenance order, the arrears upon which were stated at £2Ol 10s. The probation officer, Mr E. J. Mosley, described Lavender as being of a shiftless type. He had paid only £ll 10s on the order since it was made at Gore in December, 1944. Accused had served one sentence in respect of this order when the arrears were £sl, and when recently arrested had been working in Queenstown under an assumed name. Accused was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment in respect to £l5O 10s of the arrears.