SUPREME COURT.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LVIII, Issue 17942, 18 November 1921, Page 7

SUPREME COURT.

FURTHER CRIMINAL CASES.

FALSE PBETENCES CHARGE,

YOUNG MAN CONVICTED.

The criminal sessions of the Auckland Supreme Court were continued yesterday. Mi-. Justice Stringer presided over a case, reported elsewhere in this issue, in which forgery of a will was alleged a/gainst a. mother and her daughter. In the following cases Mr. Justice Herdman presided, the prosecutions being conducted on behalf of the Crown by Mr. S. L. Palerson,

A young man, James Donaldson (Mr. Osbwne Lilly), pleaded not guilty to ai charge of having obtained the sums of £2 and £7 from Walter Scott by false pretences. The complainant, a marine dealer, alleged that accused had told him he bad a horse and cart and waited money to buy 70 dozen bottles froui a ship. lie would re-sell the bottles and some old metal to complainant. Witness discovered later that accused had no horse or cart and had not bought the bottles mentioned. Part of the money bad been repaid by accused's parents. The accused stated he ba<l been offered the loan of a cart and harness and he told complainant he needed money to start business. Ho then heard of bottles for salo and borrowed more money to get to the wharf. The bottles were taken by another dealer, and a.s accused considered the money was a loan he used it to pay his roDt, being out of work at the time. He admitted having been discharged by his employer on account of dishonesty. After consideration for nearly an hour the jury returned a verdict of guilty of obtaining £7 by false pretences, and the prisoner was remanded for senknee.

BUTTER FROM THE NIAGARA. RECEIVER FOUND GUILTY. Arising out of the theft of three this of butter \alued at £8 from the steamer Niagara, an offence which had been admitted by two youths, Clifford Medley Vaughan and Jack Israel, former members of the crew, a bottle dealer, George Cooper Jackson (Mr. McLivcr), appeared on a charge of having received the butter in question. The youth Vaughan, who formerly looked after the seamen's mess on the steamer Niagara, said that while the steamer was in port tho accused asked Israel and himself to collect the butter .•they were entitled to, and put it in a kerosene tin with fat on the top. Witness thought they were within their rights in collecting the butter left over, which wa» sometimes rank and not eaten. On tho vessel's return to Auckland Jackson came on board, paid them £2 2s 6d for two tins of butter covered with a layer of fat, anct took tho tins away in his cart. A third ■tin was later taken from the ship \ accused.

Evidence was called to show that cooks and "peggies" could sell what fat they collectel, but none of the crew had any right to sell butter, even if it were unfit for consumption. The accused, in evidence, denied having had any transactions with the two lads, but said he bought three tins of what ho supposed was fat from a cook on the ship. Accused sold his fat to a fish restaurant. Cross-examined by Mr. Faterson, he said he could sec no reason why the two lads should plead guilty to theft of the butter when he bought it from tho cook.

After a retirement of one hour tlfe jury found tho accused guilty, and he was remanded for sentence.