HUTT COURT.

Hutt News, Volume 3, Issue 20, 9 October 1930, Page 12

HUTT COURT.

Mr T. B. MJeNeill, S.M., presided at th© monthly sitting of tike Lower Hutt •Magistrate's Court held yesterday. John Brown O'Brien, a taxi driver, who pleaded not guilty to driving a motor car without lights was convicted and fined £2 and £1> costs. Defendant said he had his parking lights on and considered them to be sufficient. Frederick Wjilliam Henry Ashman, the driver of a motor car, was charged with pulling out from behind a motor lorry going in the same direction and passing it when another car was coming in. tlxe- opposite direction. Evidence was given by Mr Gorrie of Upper Hutt that he was driving his car on the main Toad at Taita on his way \o Wellington. Defendant was on his wrong side; and when he went to pass the lorry witness had to swerve off the road to get clear. . They were the only throe cars on the road at the time. Defendant was convicted and fined £2 and 25/- coats: DANGEROUS DRIVHSTG. PUSHED "BABY" CAR 30 YARDS. DEFENDANT FINED- £5. Alexander Lawson, Andrew , was charged with driving a; 'motpr car in ; High Street in a manner which might be dangeroiis to the public. James Crowell said he. was driving, a "baby" car along High Street and a large car following behind struck his car and push'eoTit some 40 or 50 yards. Hje then called out for defendant to stop, but although he looked back, he would not stop. NGeorge IV Erics corroborated the evidence of the previous* witness. Mr E. F. Rothwell said tie witnessed the occurrence and was first attracted by the noise of an engine racing. The big car was some three feet behind Mr CTOwell and caught up to the "baby" car and pushed it some 30 or 40 yards. In a letter to the Court defendant denied that it was his car. Andrew was convicted and fined £5 and 33/- costs. . ON LICENSED PREMISES. THREE MEN CONVICTED. Harold Coe,. Lewis Coe and Leslie Bradley were each charged with being on. licensed .premises after hours. ,MJr Pope appeared for the defendants and entered pleas of not guilty! Senior Sergt. MleHolm eondiicted . the prosecution. Constable J. Scarry stated that at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 20th, he visited the Bellevue Hotel. He went to ihe back yard and noticed a, light in t&ue kitchen. Three men came oxA of the back door and ran round the back. He followed them round and one jumped on to the verandah. •He flashed his tOTijh and saw1 it was Lewis Coe. He caught the other two men, Harold Coe and Leslie Bradley, arid they said they had come to use the; lavatdry. He then went" round to the "front and asked Lewis Coe why lib was on the pre- | mises. He said he had been to the lavatory. 'Wjh.en cross-examined the constable maintained that there was no chance that lie fc&d confused the three accused with other persons. He knew them quite well. "I anissed tyro women, though," he isaid. tf They'were lucky

and got away from, me." . , - Harold Coe, a labourer living at Moera, said they left his place in Bradley's car to go to the pictures in Lower Hutt. When they were near the Bellevue Hotel he asked Bradley to stop the car as he wanted to use the convenience. Bradley stopped the car and the three of them went in. He emphatically denied they had been in the kitchen. They had only been to the convenience. In reply to Sergeant McHolm defendant said that when the constable accosted them '' they had the wind knocked out of us,' ' and instead of going to the pictures they went back homg. 'The other two men, who also reside at Moera, corroborated the evidence of the. previous witness. The Magistrate said he believed the evidence of the. constable. Each de-: f endant was convicted and fined £2 and 10/- costs. . ".: COWARDLY ASSAULT. j MAN HIT WiHEN ON GROUND, j "When Albert Frederick Norton told Gilbert Douglas Smith, an employee on ! his farm at Lower Hutt, that complaints had. been made about Ms driving a lorry early in \the morning without lights, Smith; k^ockedf him down, with: the result" that Smith; was charged with assault on the information of Norton. : la his evidence Norton said that after he had told Smith of the complaints he suggested they should go fifty-fifty in the purchase of lights. Smith replied "You can't put that across me, you liar,' ' and then struck him in the face, knocking him clean out. Smith admitted the offence, but said that Norton had called him. by a certain name and had drawn back his hand as though to strike. "I .got in first," he added. He denied that he, with his Bst. 61b., could knock out Norton with his 14st. "When on the ground," he continued, "Norton tried to put the boot in and I gave him a few more punches with my fist on the face." Norton: I did not know you -hit me when I was on the ground. I have never used the word you say I did in, my life. 'J "I must say," said the magistrate to defendant,. '' you are frank about it. Wjhatever justification there may have been for you to hit Norton, and if he did call ypu by the name you say he did, I thmk you had! justification, it certainly ended, when Nort°n s ty~ ing on the' ground. I believe he was stunned' for the moment. You» ajap&rently Ihink you did the right thing when you leaned down and struck Norton, at least two blows. I think it was a most cowardly assault and nothing pan justify Jit. You must be convicted." A fine of £3, in default seven days' imprisonment, was imposed. One month was given in which to pay. ESCAPADE WITH CAE. THREE YOUTHS' FOOLISH ACT. < An adventure which started in Wei-. lington was described when Mr T. B. McNeill, S.M., admitted one youth, whose name was ordered to be suppressed) to probation for twelve months and committed Samuel Osmund Reddish ( and Henry Leslie Kilkolly to a Borstal institute for a term not exceeding two i