POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIII, Issue 13148, 10 April 1906, Page 7

POLICE COURT NEWS.

AX IMPUDENT THEFT.

ACCUSED COMMITTED FOR TRIAL.

At the Police Court yesterday an ablebodied man, named Dick Green, was charged before Air. C. C. Kettle, S.M., with breaking and entering the dwelling of Annie Irwin and stealing a sewing machine, valued at £12. Detective Henderson prosecuted. The complainant, who is undergoing a sentence of three months' imprisonment for vagrancy, stated that b&fore she was arrested she had resided in White-street, where she had some furniture and a sewing machine. When she was sent to gaol her house wa> locked up. •Alfred .lames Lindsay, a boardinghousefceoper. said that the accused called on him recently and told him that he had "a little home" he wanted to sell to witness. The accused and witness visited the house, and the former (accused) opened the, door and showed witness the home. He said he wanted "two score." (meaning £40) for it, but witness refused to purchase it. Green then asked witness to buy the- -sewing machine from him, which he did. giving him £3 for it. The accused even gave witness a receipt for the money. Green pleaded guilty, and was committed for sentence. Green was further charged with breaking into and entering the office of Major William Lan», and stealing therefrom' a caskbox containing about £7 in money. Detective Henderson prosecuted. The complainant, a shipbuilder, belonging to the firm of Messrs. T. M. Lane and Sons, carrying on business near the King's Drive, stated that on March 24 lie locked up the premises very securely, leaving a cashbox containing £7 odd and a postal note in the building. On the 26th tilt, the cashbox was found empty, much knocked about, on the water frontage. The handle of the door of the building had been wrenched off. Norman Inglis, a boy in the, employ of Messrs. Lane and Sous, deposed to finding the cashbox.

James Henry Kerr, a watchman in the employ of Meassrs. Ley-land and O'Brien, Paid that on the afternoon of March 25 he saw the accused coming out of the complainant's biiikJinß with the cashbox under his arm. There were three other men in company with th<> accused. Detective P. T. MeMahou detailed his visit to the complainant's premises on March 25. when lie found that an entrance had been made by the front door of the buildin?. As the result of information received he arretted the accused on March 31. When charged (Jreen replied, "I know nothing." The accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed for trial.

BRUTAL ILL-TREATMENT OF A HORSE. CARTER FINED £10.

A young man named Walter MeQuoid pleaded not guilty to cruelly ill-treating a torse. Sergeant Hendry prosecuted. Charles G. Laurie, a confectioner carrying on business at Newmarket, stated that on April 2 he saw the horse, which was attached to a vehicle, lying on the ground. The accused struck the horse across the head with the butt, end of a whip three times while Hie animal was lying on the ground. Witness called out to the accused not to ill-treat the animal, but he took no heed. The accused then put his hand in the horse's month and caught hold of its tongue and twisted it about in a most brutal manner.

Several other witnesses gave corroborative evidence. Constable Mackle stated that he examined the horse after the incident, and found blood in its mouth. The accused, on oath, said that he was driving three horses attached to a waggon on the date in question. The leader went clown because it did not want to go any further: it was a rank jibber. He did not hit the horse on the head with the whip, but might have caught hold of the animal's tongue, though lie did not twist it. The accused', who was reminded that perjury was a serious offence, said (in reply to the" magistrate) that he did net want to call a witness who was with him in the waggon at the tim&, but at the request of Mr. Kettle the witness was placed in the box. The witness said that the accused struck the horse with the lash of the whin. Witness did not see the accused twist the horse's tongue, as be (witness) was looking after the other two horses. On being questioned by Sergeant Hendry, •witness said the accused might have,twisted the horse's tongue while he (witness) was looking after the other horses. The Magistrate said he was satisfied that the accused had behaved in a most violent and brutal manner towards the horse, and added that it was one of the worst cases of cruelty he had come across. The accused deserved to be sent to gaol, audi no doubt proceedings would be taken against him on tire charge of committing perjury. , McQupid was fined £10, and was given 2+ hours in which to pay the fine.

THEFT FROM A DWELLING. A sailor, named Joseph Coles, pleaded not guilty to stealing- a razor, valued at 15s, the property of William Molloy, from the dwelling of Mrs. Fitzpatrick. Chief-Detective Mar.sack, who prosecuted, stated that on January 23 the complainant and the accused were boarding together at Mrs. Fitzpati-ick's boardinghouse, and the x>inp!aiuant missed his razor. The article was shortly afterwards recovered in a se-cond-hand dealer's shop, where it had been told by the accused. Corroborative evidence was given, and the accused, who said lie had purchased the razor in Melbourne, was found guilty and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. FORGING AND UTTERING. A voung man, named Charles M. Spinley, pleaded guiltv to four different charges of forging and "uttering cheques, purporting them to be signed by his father, John Spinley. The total amount of the cheques forged was £8. , John Spinley, a boot and shoe manufacturer, stated that since the accused had been arrested lie had admitted forging witness' name, and had said that ho wa.s very sorry for what he had done. The accused also told witness that he had been drinking, and that lie would not have committed the forgery had it not been for this. The accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. CHINESE DESERTERS. A Chinaman named Chang To pleaded guilty to deserting' from the s.s. Gulf of Venice at Auckland in November last. On being asked why he had deserted. Po explained through an interpreter that he was induced to do so by some Chinese m Auckland, whose names he mentioned. It was stated that in orde-r to avoid forfeiting £100 to the State the owners of the Gulf of Venice had offered a reward for Po s arrest. , , The accused was sentenced to seven days imprisonment, and Messrs. J. J. Craig and Co., the steamer's agents, undertook to see that he was placed on board the. steamer again or sent back to Hongkong. Can Tuck, who had deserted from H.M.c.s. Iris, was handed over to the captain of the Iris. MISCELLANEOUS. Paul Van Zanter, arrested on a warrant and charged with disobeying an order of the Court to contribute towards the maintenance of his wife, was, on the application of Sergeant Hendry, remanded to appear at Wellington. The arrears were *aid to amount to £16 Bs. Mary A Gibbs, a third offender for dninkennesss, was convicted and discharged, and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon. A prohibition order was issued against defendant for 12 months Hiram Nixon, also a third offender, was fined 20s and costs for a similar offence A prohibition order was issued against Nixon for 12 months. Four first offenders for drunkenness were convicted and discharged. One of the number (a woman) had a prohibition order issued against her for 12 months, J?our other first offenders, who did not appear were ordered to forfeit the amount of bail [£1 each). , . , . , .Tamos Regan was charged with drunkenness and with trespassing on the prem ses of Mrs. Clark, in Norfolk-street, and refus. ing to leave the premises when requested to do so. Mr. J. K. Re«l °.?P »d fo first defendant, and pleaded guilty to the first charge and not guilty to the second. On the charge of drunkenness «*&*».*« fined 5= or in default 2+ hours lmprisonS, and on the charge of trespassing was jonvieted and fined 20s. . r*i, a . \VW John Robertson and Nathaniel Cbw■ g ton were convicted and fined 20s «"».{« fault seven days' imprisonment for fighhng in federal-street. -V prohibition order wa> issued against each of the defendant, for 12 in lis.