LAW AND POLICE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXXVIII, Issue 11823, 28 November 1901, Page 7

LAW AND POLICE.

SUPREME COURT.—Criminal Sittings. (Before His Honor Mr. Justice Conolly.) The criminal sittings, were continued yesterday. John Baxter, a young man, was convicted of the theft of a pipe, some articles of clothing, and 10s in money, the property of B. Arnold, from a boardinghouse in Hob-son-street, and was sentenced to four months' imprisonment with hard labour. The Court resumes at ten o'clock this • morning. POLICE COURT NEWS. Mr. Thomas Hutchison, S.M., disposed of the business at the sitting of the Police Court yesterday. Drunkenness: John Maxwell, against whom several previous convictions for drunkenness have been recorded, was fined £1, with the alternative of one week's imprisonment. James Dunne was fined 10s, ■with tho option of 48 hours in prison, for a similar offence, and a fine of ss, in default 24- hours' imprisonment, was imposed on Edmund Heckscher. One first-offending inebriate was also dealt with. Alleged Unnatural Offence: John James, _ young man, was arraigned on a charge that he did, on the 26th inst., at Auckland, commit an unnatural offence. Henry Ahrens v.as also charged with aiding, abetting, and procuring John James to commit an unnatural offenco. Mr. Martin appeared for the ficoused. At tho request of Detective Jladclern, who said that the accused were only arrested on Wednesday evening, an adjournment was granted till Wednesday next. Bail was allowed in two sureties of £25 each. Dismissed: Judgment was delivered in the case of Georgina O'Shca, who was charged at the Court on Monday last with keeping a brothel in Lome-street. Mr. Baume appeared for the defendant, and at the previous hearing raised the point that to constitute a brothel it must be shown that tho house in question was frequented by other women for immoral purposes. His Worship said that ho had given this particular question careful consideration, and he had also conferred with hit) colleague, Mr. Brabant, S.M., on the point, and ho regretted to say they did not coincide with one another. He had decided in a previous decision in favour of the objection raised by counsel, and ho now found that his colleague had given a decision exactly the reverse. This, His Worship went on to say, was instrumental in causing him to go into the question again, but he could not go back on his former decision, and he was still of opinion that the English law helu in the case, and consequently Mr. Baume's contention was to bo upheld. The information would bo dismissed. His Worship also suggested that an appeal be made on the particular point raised. OTAHUHU POLICE COURT. Tuesday, November 26. fßafore Messrs. S. Luke and A. R. Harris, J.P.'s.) Window-breaking: Charles Cashen was charged by Constable Foreman with wilfully breaking a pane of glass, value 15s, in a window of the Masonic Hall, Otahuhu, on June 29, 1901; also, with wilfully breaking two panes of glass, value 30s, in a window of the same hall on October 24, 1901. The accused pleaded guilty to both charges. Besides ordering payment for damages, the Bench fined tho accused £4 and costs, making a total penalty of £6 19s, or one month's imprisonment with hard labour. The Magistrates exprosseel their determination to put a stop, if possible, to the senseless and wicked practice of stone-throwing and win-dow-breaking.— Correspondent.]