COURTS AND OFFENCES.

Hawera Star, Volume XLVII, 26 July 1928, Page 7

COURTS AND OFFENCES.

Bl’C'K LEY BEFORE TOR COURT. (By Telegrauti—Prnss Association.) WELLIN'C!TON. July 25. John Leslie the prisoner who escaped from Mount' Eden prison and who was subsequently arrested in Wellington, was sentenced to-day to four months’ imprisonment on each of three charges of theft, to be served concurrently with his present sentence. On three charges of breaking and entering lie pleaded guilty and was remanded to Auckland on Friday for sentence. To the charge of being incorrigible, in that he escaped from prison secure the expiration of his sentence, he intimated that he intended to plead not guilty r and to elect to be tried by jury. He was also remanded to Auckland on this charge.

CASE DISMISSED. PALMERSTON N., July 25. At the Pol ice Court this morning Leonard Mellcs, a motor mechanic, aged 30, was charged with being intoxicated while in charge of a motor car. Evidence was given by several police witnesses that the accused was under the influence of liquor, white a companion was lying in a ditch drunk, the car at the time of accused’s arrest having gone over a. hank on the main • road at Whakarongo. For the defence the doctor gave evidence that he had examined the accused in the police cells subsequent to his arrest, finding him excited and talkative, but perfectly 7 coherent, with full control of liis muscular powers. The accused was not drunk, although he had had drink. The accused gave evidence that lie had had two drinks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. His companion had been picked up in town and was then drunk. Tim accident to the car happened while ..avoiding another which was zigzigging along the road. ’Saying that there was a great difficulty in defining what the state of intoxication was, the magistrate, Mr Stout, decided that the ease was on the borderline and it had not been proved that Mellcs was in su’ch 'a state as to bring him within the Act. The charge was dismissed.