MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Northern Advocate, 23 March 1925, Page 4

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

ARRESTING CONSTABLE I

ASSAULTED.

MAORI INEBRIATE FINED

At the Whangarei Magistrate's Court this morning, before Mr R. W. Tate, S.M., a young Maori from Helena Bay, Wiki Hetarika, was charged with being disorderly while drunk in Bank Street on Saturday evening and with assaulting Constable Beasley while in execution of his duty. Defendant pleaded guilty and SeniorSergeant O'Grady described how he liad assaulted the constable as he was being taken from a taxi to the lock-up. Hetarika was fined £1 on the first count and £2 on the other. SECOND OFFENDERS. A second offender for drunkenness, William Harling, was fined the amount of bail, £1, the Magistrate stating that in such cases it might be advisable to make the bail heavier. John Gordon, who had been before the Court and fined £10 in January for supplying liquor to a prohibited person, was charged with drunkenness, and was fined the amount of bail, £1. THREE MONTHS FOR OBSCENITY. John Pomerenski pleaded guilty to charges of being drunk, using obscene language, and damaging a cell pan valued at ss. Senior-Sergeant O'Grady stated that accused had used filthy language in the cells from 6.30 p.m. until nearly midnight when he fell asleep exhausted. Accused, who had a long list of previous convictions, including nine for obscene language, asked for a chance as he was getting on in years. He had come to town to pay a hospital bill, and had had a few drinks too many. For using obscene language accused was sentenced to three months with hard labour, and he was ordered to pay the cost of the damaged police property from the small fund in his possession when arrested. AN EXPENSIVE JOY-RIDE, Robert Pepene, who had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of having converted a motor cycle, the property of John William Smith, to his own use, at Ngararatunua, appeared for sentence. During the interim since his previous appearance the engineer's bill for repairing the damage done to the machine had been received and it was handed in by Senior-Sergeant O'Grady. The Magistrate emphasised the point that defendant was liable to a fine of £20, or imprisonment for three months, and also to payment of any amount up to £20 by way of compensation, while that payment did not debar the owner from taking proceedings for damages by civil action. It was a particularly impertinent offence in the case of defendant, who was fined £5, ordered to pay the owner £9 Is as compensation, and £1 2s costs. Accused asked for time, but the Magistrate allowed only one week in which to find the money, in default 14 days' imprisonment. CHARGES OF FIGHTING. As the result of charges of alleged fighting between Forbes Eadie, of Auckland, and Ernest Lacey, of Whangarei, in Bank Street, on the 11th inst, the former was called. Senior-, Sergeant O'Grady announced, however, that the summons hiad not been served soon enough, and his application for adjournment of hearing of both charges until next Monday was granted.