POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 16434, 10 January 1917, Page 3

POLICE COURT NEWS.

SHIP'S OFFICER ASSAULTED, INCIDENT AT RAROTONGA. A seajux named Richard Frederick Hor*ford pleaded guilty before Mr. E. C. (.'utten, S.M., in the Police Court yestei day to assaulting Sommens Vine, chiei officer of a steamer now in port. Tho complainant said that while the ship was at Rarotonga. and the crew was assisting to transfer the mails from the Maitai, accused was too drunk to work. Witness told him lie should be ashamed of himself. He then put. hi.- hands on witness, and when told to take them away .-trut witness. " I then laid him out,' concluded the witness, who added that the man was being prosecuted merely to preserve discipline on the ship. Accused said he was too drunk to know what lie was doing at the time. The chief officer had taken a bottle of beer from him, so he '' had drunk some hay rum." Accused was lined £1 and 7s costs. P.AOL FOR VAGRANCY. Two charges of vagrancy were denied by James Moylan. Detective J. minings said that for the past three months accused had been con sorting with thieves, and had done no work. Witness had had occasion to put accused off the racecourse He was ad dieted to drink, and "had a pretty bad record." Accused said he never went out at night without his wife and children, and always went, to church on Sunday, and had been leading a good life since he was last in trouble. Accused was sentenced to two months' hard labour. MISCELLANEOUS. A sentence of seven days' hard labour was imposed upon Edward Thomas Roberts, a fifth offender for drunkenness Norman McLeod Dodds, a fourth offender, who sail! he had work to go to tin the countrv, was given three days' hard labour" to clear his constitution," as the magistrate put it. Two tirst offenders were convicted and discharged. Charles Reid was fined 10s for committing a breach of the peace.