TRUANCY CASES.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LIII, Issue LIII, 16 April 1908, Page 7

TRUANCY CASES.

Four parents were lined for failing to send their children to school. ', BREACHES OF THE LICENSING J ACT. Thos. Glynn pleaded guilty to procuring liquor during the currency 01 a prohibition order, and was fined £1 and costs, in default 14 days' imprisonment. The defendant was allowed a week in wnich to pay. James Mackay pleaded guilty to refusing to quit the licensed premises of the Koyal Hotel. The police stated that the defendant had used offensive language to the barmaid. A fine of £1 and costs was imposed. ALLEGED ASSAULT. Walter Smith (Mr Welsh) pleaded not guilty to unlawfully assaulting : Jonah Fake (Mar Sellai) by striking him in me face, on the head, and holding him by the throat., Complainant deposed that the defendant rented from him (Fake) a house in Regent street at a weekly tenancy of 7s. There was £2 2s of the rent overdue, and on^March 23 witness, asked, him for it., Smith replied that he had got a six months' tenancy' from his (witness') wife. Smith then put up his fists and struck a fighting attitude. On March 30, on being told that ■ Smith waß removing bis furniture, witness went to the house and noticed .that two rooms were empty. Smith was harnessing up a gig at the back .of the house. An altercation ensued, -and Smith struck witness on the jaw .and on the right temple with his fists. Smith then secured an axe from witness and struck him across the head with the handle. Witness received the first blow. He also knocked a couple of teeth out of witness' head, and ■caught hold of his throat, threatening iim. Smith got a finger in witness' mouth and he (witness) bit it. To Mr Welsh: Did not give Smith any offence, but only asked for the Tent. Did not get the axe for the purpose of threatening Smithy but only to tighten up the loop of a rope on the fence. To Mr Sellar: Never threatened Smith in any way with the axe. Mary Williamson also gave evidence. Dr Brown deposed to having attend^ ed to Fake. Thought the bruises on the head must have been caused by a blow. He extracted two teeth for Fake which had been knocked about. The defendant, Smith, deposed that when Fake came round to the house on t"he day witness was moving he (Fake) asked for a week's rent. Witness replied that he had already been given notice to leave. Witness did not strike Fake at that time. Fake went away and came back with an axe, which he laid outside the fence on the road. He then did something with the rope, but there was no truth in the statement that the axe was being used by Fake on the rope. Witness asked Fake to open the gate, but he said no. Witness then pulled the rope off and vthe gates were opened. Smith then Jfaught hold of the axe, saying that 'witness would "slit me down" or words to that effect. Witness got the axe and hit him with the handle. Fake bit witness' finger. If Fake' had 'not enendeavored to stop witness from going out of the house the quariel would not have' arisen. ' *Mr Sellar : Didn't ' you rush at Mr Fake and hit him before he did anything to you. Witness: Certainly not. Catherine Pearce and Lizzie Yearbury also gave evidence. Mr Welsh said he had other witnesses, but he did not think anything further could be brought out. ' A fine of £1 with costs was imposed, in default 14 days' imprisonment. A fortnight was allowed defendant in which to pay. , THREATENING BEHAVIOUR. Hugh Noonan (Mr Welsh) pleaded . not guilty of having used threatening behaviour in the Opera House on the evening of February 17. The case arose out of a similar ( , charge against one Alfred Aubrey some weeks back. The evidence, for the police was to the effect that tb.6 two men had been quarrelling^ in the Opera House on the evening in question, the occasion -of a bazaar. -It was stated that Noonan had first struck Aubrey. The charge against Aubrey was dismissed, and Noonan was.fjned £1 and costs, in default 14 days' imprisonment.