POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVI, Issue 17351, 24 December 1919, Page 4

POLICE COURT NEWS.

; BREAKING GLASS SIGNS.

BUSINESS MAN FINED; A charge of having wilfully damaged two glass signs in Swanson Street was ;_. preferred against Edwin Bai*l#|.fark ; (Air Indef) at the Police Court jesterday before Mr. J. E. Wilson, SM. Evidence was given by Constable IN egbit that shortly after / midnight on ;Mon. _, dav, as he was trying the doors of a jeweller's shop in Victoria Arcade, he heard a crash of breaking glass in Swanson , Street. He ran up the street, and as he approached Mill Lane saw two men, one lof whom was the accused, short distance [further up. The accused stooped down i and picked up something, apparently a, stone, which he hurled at a building. This caused another crash of breaking glass, and witness accosted the accused. The "other man disappeared. Witness lound that two glass signs on a, budding had been broken, and arrested the accused. Witness took the accused to the police station in a taxicab, and on the way to the station the accused offered him £1 to say nothing about the matter. Witness said he thought at first that __ 'Clark was under the influence of liquor, but when he reached the station he found that the man was quite sober. I Counsel for accused said that the deI fence was a direct denial. His client was | a well-known and highly-respectable busi- | ness man against whom nothipg had ever ' previously been alleged. The accused gave evidence that he was proceeding down Swanson Street 'from. Albert Street by himself to get a taxicab to take him home, and just as he reached Swanson Street he heard a crash of breaking glass, and as he reached the ; point at which the glass had been broken he noticed a man hurrying • down the street towards Queen .Street. Witness trod on the broken glass and stooped down to see what had occurred. Just then the constable arrived and accused witness of having broken the signs. There was no other man in witness's company. At this stage the magistrate remarked that obviously one of the witnesses was not telling the truth, and that he would take a note of all the evidence. Cross-examined, the accused adhered to his statement. In regard to the constable's statement that he had offered money to the constable to drop, the matter, Clark said that he had said to the constable that he had some money in his pocket, and that he supposed he would be allowed out on bail.

The magistrate, at counsel's suggestion, visited the scene of the occurrence during , the luncheon adjournment. Delivering judgment subsequently the • magistrate said that he had come to the . ', conclusion that the constable's story was the correct version of the occurrence. Counsel asked to have the penalty made sufficient to permit him to appeal. The Magistrate: I doubt if the matter is of sufficient importance. Mr. Inder: It is a. highly important question whether the Court accepts on every occasion the statement of a constable against that of a reputable citizen. i The Magistrate: That is not a proper statement for you to make, Mr. Inder. However, I have no desire to prevent an appeal being made. The accused was fined £5, and ordered ' '■'* to pay the amount of the damage to the signs, £1 15s, the aggregate amount being sufficient to permit an appeal to be lodged.

I CHARGES OF INSOBRIETY. I Winifred Bruce, •against whom charges of drunkenness and vagrancy were preferred, admitted the former charge ""and denied the latter. She was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment for drunkenness and the charge of vagrancy was dismissed. ! George James Smith, .who was convicted on similar charges, wag sentenced to two months' imprisonment with hard labour. four first offenders for drunkenness were convicted and discharged and. tHree others, who had been admitted Vio ljijj.il, were fined. 10? each. . Gavin XBurns Crocker, who admitted having committed a breach of his prohibition order, was fined £2 or seven days' imprisonment *ri£h hard labour.