POLICE RAID

Northern Advocate, 15 August 1935, Page 6

POLICE RAID

PREMISES IN WHANGAREI GAMING HOUSE CHARGES. FOUR MEN UNDER ARREST. i Following police raids this morning, three men and a youth appeared before Mr E. L. Whimp. J.P., at the Whangarei Police Court this morning. The charges were:— Charles Schon. keeping a premises as a common gaming house in Wallace j Buildings. Cameron Street. | Lindsay Hudson Stuart, assisting in the management of such premises. _ Arthur Laurence Lambess, keeping a premises in Cameron Street as a common gaming house. , All accused were remanded to appear at. Whangarei on August 19. Bail was forthcoming of £IOO each in the case of Schon and Lambess, £SO in respect of Stuart and £5 in respect of a youth who was alleged to have been found on the premises.

The raid on Schon’s premises was carried . out by Detective Nalder and Constable Harrington, and the tobaccbhist’s shop of Lambess was visited by Senior-Sergeant Finch and. Constable J. Norris. “A SIDELINE.” GROCER WHO TOOK BETS. [Special to “Northern Advocate .”l AUCKLAND, This Day. To a charge of using premises in Dominion Road as a common gaminghouse, a grocer. Garfield Howard Townsend, aged 27, who appeared in the Police Court yesterday morning, pleaded guilty. Senior Detective Hall said that as the result of complaints received a constable in plain clothes called at Townsend’s shop, and had no difficulty in placing a bet. Townsend gave the constable a printed double chart. Late 'in the afternoon Detective Moore and Constable Ross executed a search warrant on the premises, and arrested Townsend, who admitted that he had taken a total of 57 bets, including 13 doubles, amounting to £l3. Townsend said he was acting as an agent for a bookmaker. Accused had never been in trouble before. He was a married man and suffered from heart trouble. Appearing for Townsend, Mr Coates said that about seven months ago he bought a small grocery business. Some time ago his wife fell ill and underwent a serious operation performed by a specialist. Having heavy expenses to meet, Townsend resorted to taking bets to supplement his income. The betting was only a sidelihe. Counsel asked the magistrate to take a .lenient view of the matter, as Townsend had borne an excellent character in the past. Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M., convicted Townsend and remanded him until August 21 for sentence. Bail was renewed. Mr Wilson, instructed the probation officer to furnish a report.