COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 10 May 1935, Page 7

COURT NEWS

(Per Press Association). PALMERSTON NORTH, May 8. In his charge to the Grand Jury, Judge Smith said that there were seven indictments for consideration, six of which related to offences against property. True bills were returned in all cases.

The unusual course of discharging a jury and directing the re-hearing of a case after evidence had been tendered by the first witness for the Crown, was taken by Mr Justice Smith.

Keith Elford Craig, a metal dealer. 33 years of age, of Wellington, was charged with theft or alternatively receiving bronze bearings at Linton. Accused requested the case be adjourned as he had been unable to get his witnesses to the Court. He said when the indictment was read, that if the case proceeded the Court would hear two witnesses for the Crown and he would be able to give only his own unsupported statement ion oath. The Judge said accused was trifling with the Court, and ordered the ease •o proceed. ■Owingetaoinetaoinetaoffi uf the first witness, accused' declared he had no opportunity of getting in touch with witnesses for the defence, aS - after the lower Court hearing he had been placed in custody and been unable to communicate with the outside world. 1 The Judge adjourned the Court in

order to make inquiries after which he c.nnouneed he did not wish to place the accused at a disadvantage. It appeared accused had not had much time to prepare his defence. The Judge discharged the jury and directed the Registrar to bring to the Court at 'the Crown’s expense any witness accused might name. The case was set down for Monday.

The accused indicated that he wish ed to conduct his own defence.

The Judge added that the Crown Solicitor was unaware of any embarrassment of the accused. WELLINGTON, May 9.

Maurice William Baker was found guilty, with a strong recommendation to mercy, on charges in the Supreme

Court, of obtaining £2OO from a retir cd solicitor, by false pretences. Judge IJair remanded the prisoner for sen

The trial is proceeding against Herbert John Craig Parker, on eight charge of assault on girls under 1(5 Accused was a teacher at Ihe I’etoue Central School.

On about their twentieth appearance in Court, in Wellington, since they arrived from Australia, and the first attempts were made to extradite them several months ago. William Campbell and Madge Munro faced Mr J. 11. Lux ford in the Magistrate’s Court, to-day. and heard once more the familiacharge of stealing in Sydney share script worth £375. For the first time the circumstances of the alleged theft were detailed from information brought by a Sydney decctive from the detectives’ files. Counsel for lh? police outlined the story . i the met i.,ds by which the tw-j accused had allegedly stolen the sc: ip*.. It. had been done, hi* said, by means of a trick. Madge Munro had twice absconded on bail from Sydney, on the second occasion in company with ( rmpbell to New Zealand. In Sy Iney she had escaped a charge of conspiracy to defraud by producing her marriage certificate, and maintaining that a wife could not conspire with her husband. The case has still apparently some distance t.o go, before decision. Counsel for the accused advanced several more legal objections. Among them was the allegation that in preparation <or depositions brought from Sydney, as evidence, a fundamental rule of justice had been ignored, in that accused’s counsel there had not been allowed to cross-examine the deponents.