COURT NEWS

Grey River Argus, 10 August 1935, Page 7

COURT NEWS

LICENSEE FINED. WELLINGTON, August 9. Joseph Quinn, licensee of Clyde Quay Hotel, was lined £7 and costs for selljno- liquor after hours. It was stated that when a raid was made the police had trouble in getting in, and a number of men escaped at tire rear of the premises. WANGANUI. August 9. The Chief Justice (Sir M. Myers) sentenced the following prisoners:— Joseph Cunningham, 23, unlawful e.r rnal knowledge, to come up for sentence within 18 months if eafled upon. William Arthur Bettridge, a similar ofie-nee 1 but' different features, having known the girl since her childhood, nine months’ reformative detention. Bachimt Singh, 50.. alleged rape, 18 months’ hard labour. The Judge stated that he would not allow it to go forth, that the Court would extend probation to persona found guility of violence to women, or an attempted offence, of this kind. HASTINGS, August 8. Th e opinion that sheep should not be allowed to be transhipped by lorry at night was expressed by Mr Justice Reed, in the Supreme Court, to-day during the hearing of slieeo-stealing charges. Counsel, Mr L. T. Burnard, askel a lorry driver if he did a great deal of carrying sheep by night, to freezing works, the reply being that he had Curing the past two seasons. His Honor: Then I think it ought to be stopped by law; it is too much Temptation. Sheepfarmers ought to do something about it. Mr Burnard: Of course, your Honor, lorry drivers are eager to get any jobs they can. His Honor: That may but sheepstealing is too serious a thing for that to be taken into consideration. On two charges of sheep-stealing, Victor Frank James Magee, of Wairoa, was found guilty to-day. Farmers, whose property bordered on Magee s revealed that shortages of sleep had been discovered after musters. None had sold accused any sheep, but D ie y had found some of their sheep on accused’s property. For the defence," it was seated the evidence had revealed tremendous losses of sheep by farmers in the district for some years, but there was nothing to connect the sheep held bv accused with those losses. That being so ,the Crown ease must. fail. It was not the duty of accused, moreover, to eom e forward and prove the sheep held by him were his own property. The jurv retired and returned.2s minutes later with a verdiet of guilty on both counts. The prisoner was remanded for sentence.

Archibald Robert Wilkie, in a further sheep-stealing case, is charged with the theft of seven sheep at Ttttira. The east e was unfinished at the adjournment'.