COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 14 September 1931, Page 8

COURT NEWS

(Per Press Association). AUCKLAND, September 12. ' William Arthur James, aged 35, was arrested last night on. a warrant changing him. \Vith. the theft of thirty * watdhfes, belonging to William Shackle ; ' of Christchurch. At. the Court this 1 morning the accused was remanded to , i appear at Christchurch on Wednesday, l ; the police saying that other charges “ ■ were pending. for the accused said that x I Janies and his wife and four children. I were to have sailed by the Bangitane 1 j yesterday for England. He had been ' given the watches to sell. i ( BA. TURNS BURGLAR. I — t DUNEDIN, September 11. In the Supreme Court, John Harden Fullerton (aged twenty-four) and <■ Samuel M’Nichol! (aged twenty-six;, 1 were sentenced respectively to two 1 years and one year’s reformative de- ( tention on charges of breaking, on- 1 1 tering theft at Timaru and Bal- J clutha. 4 Counsel’s statement showed that 1 Fullerton graduated as a B.A. when ( twenjty. He got into debt at the Uni- ( vergity and later, when employed at J sehotOl teaching, was pressed by his creditors. As the result he stole £l5 ‘ and this act had blighted his career. He had since wandered the country : trying to find work. Later he. Sjtole 12s for food, serving a sentence of six . weeks). He met M’Nicholl at Palmerston North. They trekked south and when out of funds' at Timaru, they broke the window of a house, stealing butter. They also enitered a mercery shop there and at Balclutha. M’Nicholl was an immigrant and his wife was in Scotland. (

VALUEDESS CHEQUES. CHRISTCHURCH, September 11. Joseph Leonard Clarke, described by counsel as a man whn had handled hundreds, of thousands of pounds, pleaded guilty in the Magistrate’s Court this morning to three chargesof issuing valueless cheques. Clarke was on .the charge sheet as an indentor, aged forty-eight years. He wa s admitted to probation for a term of twelve months. On his own request it was* made a condition of bis probation that he should sign do cheques during thaft time. The dhiarges were of obtaining £6 2s 6d from Taylors, Ltd., and £3 3s 2d from William Newell by valueless cheques drawn on the Bank of New South. Wales; a, third charge related to an offence at Wellington. Mr Stacey said that Clarke was in the flour business in 1918, and had a large concern w’orth hundreds of thousandsi of pounds. When the millers formicd a corporation the business collapsed in. less than a. month. lie Ihlen wont, into the margarine business and spent thousands of pounds in it, losing all his money and finishing irt debt.