SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14855, 5 December 1911, Page 9

SUPREME COURT.

TWO "NOT GUILTY" VERDICTS. A . GRAFTON ROAD . BANKRUPT. The criminal , sessions .of the Supreme Court in Auckland were continued yesterday, -His Honor Mr. Justice Edwards, on the Bench. The first case called on was that in which a young- man named William Edward Gick, who has carried on a small grocery business in Grafton Road, was charged with, having committed . a breach of the Bankruptcy Act. Mr. Solwyn Mays appeared as Crown Prosecutor, and Mr. F. Earl was counsel for the accused, who pleaded not guilty, the charge against him being that he,-when he had been adjudged a bankrupt, incurred debts which ho had no reasonable'or probable expectation of being able to pay. , It appeared from the evidfcuce that the accused, who is 27 years of ago, , had been employed in tho grocery business for some time, and having saved £LV4, he borrowed an additional £100 from/'his mother, and in partnership with a pi an named Hunt took over a grocery stopj in Grafton Road ,in February, 1910. Hunt did not put any, money into tho business. For some 114 months the business was carried ' on, but not to any profit. In September of | the same year .Hunt went out of the busij ness, which accused continued to carry on by/,himself. But in April of this year lie found that ho war. £150 in debit, and had lost his own £114 and his mother's £100. During tho 14 months of his business life ho had gone'£364 13s 4d 'to the bad. It was chafed that after he had iteceived balance sheets showing his financial position he had incurred further liabilities . with Heather, Roberton, and Co. (£l66'», Auckland Bacon Co. (£lB 15s 7d), and O. Aitkjen and Son (£4O Os 4d). The jury having heard the evidence, counsels' addresses, and His Honor's summingup, deliberated for 25 minutes - and re- ! turned to' Court with a verdict of not guilty, ans' the accused was at once discharged. ' ' ' CHARGE OF ABANDONING A , . , , , CHILD. . : Louisa Williams, a married woman, who is a native of Nukualofa, Tonga, pleaded not guilty to a, charge that she abandoned her infant child in Wellesleystreet on the evening of October 9 last. Mr. A. E. Skelton appeared , for the accused. > . j The jury, after hearing evidence, deliberated for ten minutes and returned with a verdict of not guilty. The prisoner was at once discharged. ALLEGED PILLAGING. The case of John Alexander Mclntyre, charged with theft from the wharf, was mentioned to His Honor by Dr. Bamford, counsel for accused, who said that McIntyre was at present in such p serious condition of health that there was 1 no possibility of him coming up for trial this sessions. The case was. accordingly postponed and the same bail allowed -as formerly.- - •