DOMINION NEWS

Grey River Argus, 26 September 1944, Page 5

DOMINION NEWS

TRUCK DRIVER KILLED HASTINGS, Sept. 25. When a light truck went over a ■ bank near the Pukehou railway station on Saturday night, Hanita Timo Renata, aged 28, Te Hauke, who recently returned from overseas service was killed instantly. The driver, deceased’s brother, Dick Renata, sustained cuts and abrasions. GAMING CHARGES AUCKLAND, Sept. 25. Arising out of police visits to two city premises on Saturday, a woman aged 27 and a man, aged 69, appeared voluntarily at the Police Court today, charged with using the premises as'a common gaming house. Pleading guilty, each was fined £5O. A spinster, Florence Stewart, was stated by Detective-Sergeant Trethewey to have been using the premises as a gaming house since October last. A search disclosed two unlisted telephones. During half an hour thirty bets totalling £4B were taken, and the records showed the total for the day was 163, the bets totalling £159. The books disclosed that on some days as much as £6BO was taken in bets. Police evidence against the male accused, Bernard Emanuel Hart, was that he had been using the premises as a gaming house for some time. Records inspected by the police showed that on Saturday Hart took 368 bets totalling £294. He had two unlisted telephones. PRISON ESCAPEES SENTENCED. CHRISTCHURCH, September 21. Alfred Hicks Howell, labourer, 27, was sentenced by Mr Justice Northcroft to-day to 12 months’ hard labour for escaping from lawful custody. The sentence will be cumulative on a sentence he is now serving. He was also sentenced to 12 months’ on three charges of breaking, entering and theft, to be served concurrently with the other. Howell was also declared an habitual criminal. Thomas Hedley Stocker, mechanic, 22, who escaped with Howell, from Paparua was sentenced to six months’ cumulative with his present sentence. Sentencing Stocker, His Honour said he would take into consideration Howell’s statement that his was the major complicity in the escape and breaking and entering, “You, Howell, are a problem,” said His Honour. “You have a 'record of 80 offences for dishonesty, and twice you have escaped, from custody.”