HARD LABOUR IMPOSED.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLIX, Issue 226, 23 August 1929, Page 7

HARD LABOUR IMPOSED.

CONSORTING WITH THIEVES. MAN WITH PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS. Alexander Wallace Copley, aged about 35 years, was sentenced to three months’ hard labour by Mr J. L. Stout, S.M., in the Magistrate’s Court this morning, on a charge of habitually consorting with reputed thieves. Senior-Detective Quirke stated that Detective Barling had arrested accused and had made the charge against him. Detective Barling had found Copley travelling on the train from Palmerston North to Wellington in company with a reputed thief. The pair had endeavoured to evade paying their fares and both had given false names and addresses to the guard. Stating that he had known of the man previously, Detective Barling said that he had seen Copley a month ago in company with convicted thieves. He was warned to keep away from them and had said that he would. Recently, proceeded the detective, he had gone to Christchurch and had seen Copley in company with a bag-snatcher and all-round criminal. Later, he was seen outside a racecourse with a number of undesirables who had been excluded from the course. Witness had given him a final warning and Copley had said that he had no money, but had a boat ticket for Wellington where he had a job. When returning from Christchurch to Palmerston North, Detective Barling added, Copley and a man named Fitzwilliams had boarded the train, on which he was travelling, at Johnsonville. Both had tried to evade paying their fares, although they had denied it. However, they had both given false names and addresses to the guard. The pair had been accosted over the. matter and, just as the train was coming into Palmerston North, Fitzwilliams had bolted from the carriage and jumped while the train was travelling at a fast speed. He had managed to get away, but Copley was arrested. Witness had not known Copley to do any honest work. ■ ■ >• Accused was very voluble from the dock and asked numerous questions, in addition to passing remarks about the police allegedly persecuting showmen. Detective Russell said that he had known accused prior to 1926, but not since. On one occasion he had had to put Copley off the, Showgrounds for selling goods without a permit, and he was then consorting with undesirables. Accused was engaged in some capacity by a showman, but on account of his general character he was not allowed on the Showgrounds. Pleading not guilty to the charge, accused asked the Magistrate if it were law that, when a person was travelling by boat or train, he could be said to be consorting with the people who were travelling with him. He added that he had been travelling from Wellington to Hastings when he was arrested. He had arrived in New Zealand from Australia, some eight weeks ago, with £ll2 in his possession. He had not been in the Dominion since 1926. The man Fitzwilliams had been exhibiting a horse belonging to him (Copley) at shows and he (Copley) did not know that he was doing any harm by being with the man.

Questioned by the Sfcnior-Detective, accused said that he was going to Hastings to see about his horse and had paid his train fare. He then admitted having been sentenced to two months’ imprisonment for consorting with thieves, fined £lO for trespassing on a racecourse, received one month’s imprisonment and a year’s reformative detention for theft, three months’ imprisonment for being idle and disorderly, three months’- imprisonment for false pretences, and one year’s reformative detention for theft.

In sentencing accused, the- Magistrate observed that he had been given a w-arning in Christchurch and had failed to take advantage of it.