Various Cases Heard In Magistrate’s Court

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 7241, 22 August 1933, Page 3

Various Cases Heard In Magistrate’s Court

YESTERDAY’S MISCELLANEOUS LIST Miscellaneous cases were dealt with in the Palmerston North Magistrate’s Court yesterday before Mr J. L. Stout. For cycling at night without lights on their maxhines a third list of cyclists were charged. H. J. Carr and P. Lane were each fined 10s and 12s costs and R.-R. Babbington 10s and 10s costs. S. Burroughs was fined 10s and 3s costs for allowing a chimney fire in Colombo -street. Pleading guilty to being found on licensed premises after hours, Norman Holden and Jack Hill were fined £1 and 10s costs respectively. Thcywcro given a month to pay. William Print, of Feilding, for an offence under the Police Offences Act, was ordered to pay a fine of £2 with 10s costs. D. G. Pearson defended the case taken against him for failing to 'actuate the warning device on his car, the police contending that he did not sound his horn as he emerged from a right-of-way. A cyclist hit the rear of his vehicle. Mr Gordon appeared for defendant, the Magistrate holding that, the motorist was apparently at - fault, and fmed him £1 and 13s costs. Case Over a Camera Pleading not guilty to a charge that he stole a camera, the property of Campbell Strode Penny and valued at £2, A. Ireland, an elderly farm labourer, said that ho found it and had sold it to a second-hand dealer. The Magistrate pointed . out , that people who found articles could not dispose of them at will, such an action being classed as theft. Senior-Detective Quirke explained that defendant’s statement was correct. He was a hard-working man, but drink was ■ his trouble. ■ On behalf of defendant Mr G. Kells said that the camera had been found, the name being almost obliterated after long exposuro to the weather. Defendant had cleaned the camera and discovered the name Campbell, • making exhaustive inquiries to find an owner by that name. Admittedly he should have handed the camera to the police, but ho had thought it all right to sell it. Counsel asked for leniency. The Magistrate was inclined to dismiss the case as trivial, ordering the defendant to pay back the 12s he had received. He eventually decided on an adjournment for a-weok in order to allow defendant time to pay the amount, Theft Prom a Shop A youth, F. J. Martin, was charged with the theft, of a radio testing meter, valued at £1 ss. Senior-Detective Quirke said that accused went into a radio shop and quietly took possession of the article. Mr McLeavey appeared for accused and declared that the reason why the meter had been taken was that accused was out of work and was suffering from the “radio bug.” He imagined that he could earn money testing sets with the meter at. Pahiatua. Accused now had work to go to and counsel asked that ho be given a chance. Mr Stout, decided to give accused a chance, ordering him to come up for sentence within six months. An order was made for the Teturn of the meter. Unusual Charges Preferred Ron Reid pleaded guilty and said that he realised the seriousness of the acts when he was charged with the theft of electricity and with installing electrical applicances contrary to the Act. Mr Cooper, for the prosecution, said that it was a serious matter, not so much for the theft of current, but because of tho danger . from fire and shock. The ' penalty for the latter case was up to £2O. In the case mentioned the city engineer had reported that there was a danger of death from the naked wires on the appliance. Pointing out that, a fire, or even death, might have been caused in addition to- the theft of current, Mr Stout imposed a. fine of £2 on each charge, costs being 10s on- the second count.