POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LX, Issue 18577, 8 December 1923, Page 9

POLICE COURT NEWS.

FERRY AND RAILWAY FARES.

FINED FOR EVADING PAYMENT.

Charges of having failed to pay his fare when travelling from Devonport to Auckland by ferry, and of having failed to pay the proper fare when travelling by rail from Papakura to Ellerslie, were preferred against James Reid, before. Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. A ticket collector for the Devonport Ferry Company stated that accused had lost his ticket. With regard to the second charge Senior-Sergeant Rawlo said that accused had given a fictitious address when he was found travelling on an expired ticket. Reid was fined 20s, with 9s costs, on the first charge, in default seven days* imprisonment, and fined 10s, with • 33s costs on the second.

DEAF AND DUMB BOY'S OFFENCE. A deaf and dumb youth of 16 was charged with creating a disturbance in the Foresters' Hall, Birkenhead, during the* performance of a picture show. His mother appeared with him to answer the charge. It was stated that when the doorkeeper told him to put out a cigarette he was smoking, accused followed the man to the door, and struck .him. He was then forcibly ejected. Complaint was made that a. considerable amount of larrikinism had been going on lately at Birkenhead. Accused was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence in 12 months, and to pay £3 12s expenses.

SINGING NOT APPRECIATED. Herbert John Morley, aged 42, Edmund Burke, aged 50, and Charles Nelson, aged 40, while under the influence of drink, gathered with two other men in Victoria Lane, and began to sing. Residents communicated with the police and a constable cut short the vocal efforts of the performers by arresting as many of them as he could conveniently take charge of. The three named consequently appeared to answer charges oi being disorderly while drunk. Burke admitted being drunk, but contended that his share in the entertainment did not justify his being accused of being disorderly. The other two. however, wet<e wiling to, submit to the description applied them by the police. Burke was said to be making his eighty- appearance. The magistrate took a lenient view of the case, remarking that singing at 8.30 p.m. was noC like using bad language or fighting. Ho fined each accused 20s, in default 48 hours' imprisonment.

DRUNKENNESS CHARGES. Walter Porter, aged 33, a third offender for drunkenness, offered to take out a prohibiten order. He was sentenced to seven days' imprisonment. Another third offender, James Dunn, aged 30, who appeared with a Very black eye, was fined £3 and costs 3s, in default seven days' imprisonment. : A second, offender Richard Shields, aged 53, was fined £2, in default three days' imprisonment.

YOUTH CHARGED WITH THEFT.

Twelve or fourteen theft charges were stated to be pending against George Cecil Horry, aged 16£, who was charged with breaking and entering the residence of Mrs. Bessie McCallum, and stealing a quantity of fireworks, a fountain pen, a gold v-* n clip, several pencils, and '■ a quantity of chewing gum. He was remanded until Thursaay.

MISCELLANEOUS CHARGES. Wilfred Bland (Mr. C. A. Snedden), aged 24, was charged with the theft of a book, valued at ss, the property of Eric Blomfield, and 2s in money, the property of Geddes and Blomfield, and with obtaining by false presences an electric torch, valued at 12s 6d, the property of the same firm. It was stated that accused was not strong mentally, as a result of a breakdown in his youth. He was committed to probation for a year. Lionel Arthur Cooney, aged 20, was charged with having discharged missiles at Sarah Ann Kemp, at Avondale, on October 28. It was stated that he had fired a shot gun and that two pellets had struch Mrs. Kemp. She was not injured. Cooney, who said he had no idea the gun could carry so far, was fined £2, and costs £1 13s, the magistrate warning him to be more careful. He was given 1,4 days in which to pay. A young man, A. Linwood, was fined 20s and costs 9s for having in his possession for more than seven days an unregistered shotgun. Linwood said he would prefer having the gun confiscated to being fined. It was almost an antique weapon, lie said, and of very little use to him. Senior-Sergeant Rawle remarked that it was of very little use to the police either. No order was made. Wright and Jacques, pleaded not guilty to three charges of failing to place an imprint on a • publication entitled the Thames Movie News. The defence rested on the question whether the publication was a newspaper or merely a programme. The magistrate 'said the title of the publication indicated that it was a newspaper. Defendants were fined £5, with costs 9s on each charge, John Reid (Mr. Matthews) was ordered to come up for sentence if called upon w'thin a year for having trespassed on the Epsom race course, being a prohibited preson. William Preston (Mr, Dickon) was fined £5 for & similar offence*