POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 14987, 8 May 1912, Page 5

POLICE COURT NEWS.

TROUBLE ON THE WAKANUI. STOREMAN'S RENEWED OFFENCE. ■I ' ■y ; . .., . • > An engineroom storeman on the Wakanui named Thos. Ashford was charged before Mr. EC; Cutten, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday, ' with /-absenting himself without leave from the steamer Wakanui. About five weeks ago, i when the Waka^: nui was previously in Auckland,. Ashford was sentenced to ,& ; month's imprisonment for assaulting the master, of .thei vessel (Captain Makepeace). .; Ashford .preferred ■; a counter-charge against the captain of striking : him with :r a sling-shot, which charge, was dismissed. . After Ashford had served his sentence he was placed on the' vessel at Napier. The Wakanui on Sunday returned to Auckland, and the offence with which Ashford Mood charged was alleged to have happened ■on Monday. , The chief officer and the chief engineer; stated that on Monday Ashford asked for permission to go ashore- to consult a solicitor, but as the request was sot- couched in respectful language the request was declined. Ashford then went ashore without leave. , Ashford stated that ho asked permission to go ashore to see his solicitor with' a view to instituting proceedings against the captain. Leave wan rofuied, so he went ! ashore, and, after doing his business, returned to the ship and was arrested the following morning (yesterday). His Worship said the accused admitted the offence,' and it was evident that. he gave trouble on several occasions. Ho would be sentenced.. to seven days' hard labour and ordered to be placed on board the ship. > ,

. A STOLEN OVERCOAT. , " A young seaman named John Brough pleaded guilty to stealing an overcoat valued at £3, the property' of one Henncsfsy, of Poverty Bay. '' ' • '■ '■:■•'• Chief-Detective Marsack said that some five or six weeks ago the coat' -was "stolen from the Waitemata Hotel. On Monday, night Detective Hollis saw accused with the coat. He followed him and saw him try to sell it to another man. Accused said he did not take the coat from any hotel. Ho found it in the- ropelooker of a ship." : " : '-.'' ' A fine of £2. in default of seven days' imprisonment, was, imposed. ,

MISCELLANEOUS. For allowing bis two. horses to wander in the street, .Eric Jordon, junr., , was fined 10s and costs. ; ;: .., On a charge of vagrancy, Alfred Miners was sentenced ;to two months' hard labour. A first , offender,'; for. drunkenness was fined ss, and Mary" Whittingham on the same charge was convicted, discharged, and prohibited. . ,x. ~- *, For disobeying an order of the Court to pay £16 5s 6d towards the support of his illegitimate child. Wm.; Chaplin was sentenced to one month's hard labour,* the order to be suspended so long as be pays 10s a week off the arrears (£l2 13s) and continues the weekly payment of 7s 6d. : John 'Wm, Young was ordered to pay 6s per week towards the 'support of his son in the Weraroa Training Farm.