COURTS AND OFFENCES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVI, 23 June 1927, Page 10

COURTS AND OFFENCES.

THEFT FROM OLD AGE PENSIONER. (BY TEi.EGBA.PB —PRESS ASSOCIATION.) HOKITIKA, June 22. Percy TRomas Timmins and George Casey, alias Cassey, alias George Kasseyibaum, were charged, with the theft of £5 14s from the hut of an old age pensioner. They were sentenced to one year’s imprisonment with hard labour. Both accused recently arrived from the Auckland, district. THEFT OF JEWELLERY ADMITTED. DANNEVIRKE, June 22. William Guthrie Smith, aged 21, appeared before justices this morning to answer a charge of having on February 2, 1927, broken and entered the shop of Stubbs and Miliar, Dannevirke, and stolen a number of gold and jewelled rings, one silver gent’s wristlet watch, and £lO 10s in money, to the total value of £2658 9s. The accused .made a statement of having done the job himself, and detailed how he stole the key of the shop and went in and burgled the safe, and of his subsequent departure for Sydney, where he was arrested when trying to dispose of part of the proceeds. He pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court at Wellington for sentence. A SUCCESSFUL APPEAL. PALMERSTON N., June 22. Andrew .John Harland, drover, of Pohangina, succeeded at the Supreme Court to-day in his appeal against a conviction recorded against him in the Magistrate’s Court at Feilding on March 2, when he was found guilty of converting a motor-car to his own use. The Magistrate had imposed a sentence of two months’ gaol without the option of a fine. Additional evidence was biought :<>ruard to-day for the defence, Mr. Justice Ostler remarking that had the sla gist rate heard this additional evidence he in all probability would not have entered the conviction. There was a strong chain of circumstances pointing to the accused’s guilt, yet several loopholes were evident. Consequently Harland should be given the benefit of the doubt. NAME SUPPRESSED. AUCKLAND, June 22. The young man who is in custody on a charge of attempting to murder aeti ng-Detecti ve Power on June. 14 made a further appearance at the Police Court this morning, when the police asked for a further remand. This was granted. Counsel for accused said the circumstance's of the case had caused accused’s parents _ and friends some distress, and he desired the suppression of accused’s name. The magistrate, Mr. McKean: I don’t see the necessity. It has been published before when he first appeared in court. Mr. Baxter: I know that, but his relatives desire the suppression, in the meantime. I have no doubt that it will be shown that accused is insane. The order for suppression- was then granted.

ESCAPED PRISONERS RECAPTURED. AUCKLAND, June 22. William Thomas, serving a sentence of two years’ imprisonment for theft, and Lawrence Burton,, who was serving one year for the same offence, escaped from the Rangipo prison camp at 2.30 p.m. on. Sunday last, and had their freedom until this afternoon, when they were recaptured near Oruanui bv Constable McMullen, of Taupo, and Warders T. Banks and J. McKenzie, of the Hautu prison camp. After leaving the camp the prisoners attempted to cross the Kaimanawa Ranges, intending to reach Napier. The very rough conditions compelled them to return to level country and, bv following the Waimarino stream down from the ranges they came out on the Tokaanu Road. Warder T. Banks, who is in charge of the Hautu camp, and Warder J. McKenzie came upon the prisoners’ tracks early this morning, tracing them to Waitahanui. 10 miles from Taiipo. Constable McMullen joined forces, and thev then continued the search. From- information received from Orunnm describing two men making towards Hamilton and answering the description of the escapees, the warders and Constable McMalien ’-an their quarry to earth in an unoccupied, house on, the T;umo side of Oruanui. The men surrendered quietly.

lii the petition for divorce' by Henry Richard McGarry against Emily McGavry on the gronud. of desertion, Mr. Justice Reed in the Auckland Supreme Court held that the evidence was not sufficient. The parties were married in Ireland, and lived in Philadelphia. (J.S.A., in Ireland, and again in America, and then in New Zealand. There were eight children. Petitioner, an Irishman, said he had -been sleeping in a shed attached toe the house (at Waikino), and had not lived with his wife for the last five years. She had recently left him altogether, and lie had had to support the family alone. He was not sure whether he had' written to his wife asking her to return, but lie possessed' letters from respondent in which she stated that she would not live with him. His Honour said the letters should have been produced. The mere fact that people did not live together did not. in itself, constitute grounds for divorce. The only course now was for petitioner to write an affectionate letter to his wife asking her to return. If she refused, proceedings for divor e could be taken on the grounds of restitution of conjugal rigths. j’heie was nothing definite in the case at present.—Press Association.

The Wellington Education Hoard yesterday, by eight votes to three, refused to rescind a resolution that head teachers throughout the Wellington Education District he reqnested to afford accredited representatives of the Bible in Schools League facilities to obtain from school registers the names and addresses of parents of pupils attending the schools, to enab’e a plebiscite to be taken on the question of religious instruction ns embodied in the Rill introduced in Parliament last session.