Police Used "Special Knock” To Enter Hotel

Northern Advocate, 17 November 1941, Page 2

Police Used "Special Knock” To Enter Hotel

Emulating a knock given by two men seeking to gain admittance to the Poroti Hotel the police also gained entrance and found the licensee and two men in a sitting-room.

: This was the story told by Sergeant iR. E. McGettigan in the Whangarei | Court when prosecuting Francis Herbert Whitham who pleaded ! guilty to a charge that, being the licensee of the Poroti Hotel, he had sold liquor at a time when the premises were required to be closed. A charge of keeping the premises open was withdrawn by the police. | Followed Example j On the night of Friday, October 17. ! the police had visited the Poroti Hotel I which had been found to be in dark- ! ness, said Sergeant R. E. McGettigan. j They had driven past the hotel before j stopping and one constable had gone back. While he was there two men i had arrived in, a car, had given a special knock on the door and had been admitted. The police had given the same knock and also had been admitted. They had found the two men and the licensee. The bar door was closed but it was not locked and there were two glasses of beer in the room, which was the licensee's private sitting-room although there was nothing to show that it was private. Difficult of Supervision One of the men had said he had come on business and the other that he had accompanied the other man. The j licensee had said they were his guests. Whitham had not been before the court previously, but he had not been at the hotel for long, said Sergeant McGettigan. The police had received several complaints, but the hotel was 14 miles from Whangarei and was difficult of supervision, as were all country hotels, and the police looked to the licensees to be strict. “I have been struck by the statement that there was a special knock.” said Mr. D. L. Ross, who appeared for Whitham. It was the first time the two men had visited the hotel outside proper hours and had done so because they had had business with the licensee who had not kept an appointment to meet them during the day. Was in Beil “The hotel was in darkness because the licensee was in bed,” said Mr. Ross. “In fact' he was in his pyjamas -when the police arrived.” Sergeant McGettigan: That is correct. Whitham had “shouted” the two men but he had not opened the premises for the sale of liquor, continued Mr. Ross. The knock which had been mentioned was inexplicable and must have been just chance. This was the first time Whitham had been before the court. 1

Might Be “Wowsers” “Regarding complaints about the conduct ol' the hotel, only complaints applicable in court should hold sway.” said Mr. Ross. “These complaints which have been mentioned might be from prohibitionists or ‘wowsers,’ and they might be guessing just as the constable guessed a knock." Mr. Ross asked that the penalty should be as light as possible. The magistrate (Mr. Raymond Ferner) imposed a fine of £6 with costs. Lyell Lorraine Bird and Hubert Roy Cleary, for whom Mr. Ross pleaded, guilty to charges of being found on licensed premises, were each fined £1 with costs.