POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17348, 20 December 1919, Page 13

POLICE COURT NEWS.

m ALLEGED THEFT OF WHISKY. MAN COMMITTED FOR TRIAL. Charges of breaking and entering the •warehouse of B. Cunningham, forwarding agent, Albert Street, and stealing 10 cases of whisky, and wilfully breaking two windows in the building, were preferred against William Joseph Courtney, aged 34 (Atr. R. N. Moody), in the Police Court. yesterday before Mr. J. E. Wilson, S.M. Evidence was given that the disappearance of the whisky was discovered on December 4. The accused had been em-. I ployed as storemau in the warehouse until; - j the previous day, when he left, saying he I had obtained better employment. He was ' I in possession of a duplicate key of the . ! padlock on the front door, and this fact [ ! led the manager to change the padlock, ! About eeven o'clock a schoolboy passing , ! the warehouse saw accused trying a key \ in the padlock. The accused called two . I other men who wer e passing to help him, . ' but eventually one of tbem said it was ; the wrong key, and they both left. \ , Accused said he thought he could get in . th e back way, and asked the boy to go j round with him. There the accused broke j ; a. window with a stone, put the boy , through and got him to open the back door. After ringing up someone on the telephone, the accused handled a case and sent the boy to a hotel for a corkscrew J for " Mr., Cunningham." On looking back | the boy saw the accused close the front i > door of the warehouse and becoming sus-1 picious he ran to Customs Street and told two policemen what had happened. The i building was searched, but no trace was ■ I found of the accused. Subsequently, howI j ever, the boy saw him talking to some j ■ ' men in the street, and pointed him out to, : ! the police. The accused said he went to | l ' the warehouse to get a coat he had left j i ; there. A man who passed the warehouse i ' | in the evening stated that he saw the j • | front door open and a small motor-wagon • nearby. Subsequent to his arrest, the ac- 1 j cused said he would admit "the breaking i • and entering, but not the theft of the, > I whisky. I > The accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. j ; THEFT FROM EMPLOYERS. j » The theft of £223 contained in letters j i ! sent to his employers by country cusi tomers, was admitted by Frank David Moran, aged 15. Evidence was given that part of the accused's duty was the opening of registered letters. A number of letters, including one from Dargaviile, containing a cheque for £155 and £21 in cash, went astray. The police searched the accused's room at a boardinghouse and found numerous letters addressed to his employers, and £6 in postal notes. The accused also had in his possession the cheque for £155, and £41 10s in cash, which he said he had stolen from various letters. The accused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. , ALLEGED INDECENT ASSAULT. A charge of having committed an indecent assault on a girl aged five at Morningside on December 14 was preferred against John Edwin Robinson (Mr. Ostler). ' The accused pleaded not guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for trial. THEFT OF FRIEND'S CLOTHING. William Llewelyn Trevissick, aged 23, who had been convicted of the theft of clothing belonging to a soldier friend, was brought up for sentence., The probation officer stated that he had made inquiries regarding the man, and could not recommend probation. The accused was ordered to be detained for reformative purposes for a period' not exceeding 12 months. MISCELLANEOUS CASES. Kenneth Roderick Urquhart, for using obscene language in Customs Street, was ! fined £5.' I J Phillip John Leith, on a charge of i j assaulting Charles Joseph O'Hagan, 0 was I j fined £3 t in default seven days" imprison- i , ment. | ! Walter Humby, for drunkenness and i breach of a prohibition order, was fined I i I | Margaret Eliza Davidson, for drunken-1 I ness and soliciting, was sentenced to nine! j months imprisonment. j Five first offenders for drunkenness were convicted and discharged. I