COURTS AND OFFENCES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 8 February 1927, Page 5

COURTS AND OFFENCES.

ACCUSED ACQUITTED,

(|>Y TELEGRAPH —PKKSS ASSOCIATION.) WELLINGTON, Eeb. 7. The re-trial of Thomas Ohara took place to-day in the 'Supreme Court before the Chief Justice on a charge of attempted breaking and entering of a warehouse with intent to commit a. theft. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. FAILURE TO REP OUT ACCIDENT. DUNEDIN, Feb. 7. In the City Police Court to-day Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M., gave his reserved decision in the ease of Walter Philip Hailes, who was charged with having, on New Year’s morning about one o’clock failed to stop when an accident occurred to Robert Anderson, having failed to report the- accident to the police, and' also with dangerous driving. His Worship said he was satisfied that it was defendant’s car that caused the accident, and ho was satisfied that defendant could not have struck a pedestrian without knowing it. Defendant would be convicted. At this stage defendant fainted and had to be carried out of court. Mr Hanlon, representing defendant, said that defendant was liable to further charges under the Crimes Act, and he asked the Magistrate to refrain from entering conviction for a week, to enable defendant to decide it he would appeal. The Magistrate agreed and prohibited Hailes from driving a car meanwhile. CIRCUMSTANCES OF MOTOR COLLISION. AUCKLAND, Feb. 7. The trial of John James O’Hanlon on a charge of negligently driving a motor car and thereby causing the death of Bernard Housiana, a passenger in the car, took place in the Supreme Court. Evidence was given that accused collided with a motor-bus, the tail-light of which was on the left-hand side instead of the right, and that the ’bus was standing a considerable distance from the kerb. There was no suggestion that accused was driving recklesslesslv or that he was drunk.

The ,i ur y returned the following verdict: “In the opinion of the jury the accused is guilty of negligence in some degree in colliding with a ’bus, but the accident was, in their opinion, contributed to by the fact that the taillight was on the left side of the ’bus; and that the driver of the ’bus also contributed by pulling up five feet from the kerb.” The jury strongly recommended the accused to the' leniency of the. Court, and added a rider that the authorities be urged to make it compulsory for, all rear lights to be placed on the right side of vehicles. Sentence was postponed until to-mor-row, Mr Justice Herdman remarking that accused would not have to go to prison. EDUCATED MAN’S FALL. AUCKLAND, Feb. S. Armstrong Garfield Robinson, aged 44, pleaded guilty to a .series of thefts and of obtaining money by fraud. He was stated to have a long criminal*-his-tory, including a .sentence of.imprisonment for one month in Wellington. Counsel for the accused .said that lii-s client was well connected in England. He met with an accident in 1916, sustaining severe injury to his head, as a result of which, whenever he took too much liquor he went mad. He had been a lieutenant in the engineers during the war, and had the degrees of B.A. and B.Sc. On one- charge) the accused was remanded for a week, amd on the other he was convicted and discharged and ordered to make restitution to the amount of £6 Is 3d. The Magistrate thought that in the meantime the accused should be medically examined.