POLICE COURT NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18631, 12 February 1924, Page 5

POLICE COURT NEWS.

FORGERY OIF A CHEQUE. COMMITTED FOR SENTENCE. A long list of cases was heard before Mr. J. W. Poynton, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. Mr. R. Edwards, J.P., of Pa'merslon North, was also on the Bench. Percy Jidmondson, aged 39, was charged with forging a cheque for £4and -uttering i't to Reginald Phillips at Onewhero. John Edward Dromgool, a farmer at Wairamaraina, stated that accused had been with a bush-felling party in his district. Some time later he found that a cheque had been taken from his boob and drawn on his account. Reginald Phillips, manager for the Farmers' Union Trading Company at Onewhero, said accused had received for the cheque, goods to the value of Is 6d and £3 18s 6d in money. Detective Lambert produced a statement in which accused admitted the offence. Edmondson, who pleaded guilty, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. A charge against the same accused of the theft of a pair of boots, valued at 30s, the property of Edward Whitehouse, was dismissed.

DISORDERLY SEAMEN. Two seamen from the steamer Canadian Constructor, William James Beddows, aged 21. and Douglas Cullens, age 29, were charged with being disorderly while drunk. Cullens was further charged with damaging a Chinese laundry to the extent of £2 5s and a constable's tunic to the extent of 3s 6d. It was stated that accused, while in a state of drunkenness, had thrown ink around in a laundry in Customs Street East. Cullens had given considerable trouble to the arresting constable. Each accused was fined 20s. and Oul'ens was ordered to pay £3 8s 6d costs. CONVICTIONS FOR DRUNKENNESS. Week-end inebriates numbered 15. " This man is becoming a nuisance to us," said Senior-Sergeant Rawle. as Richard Burnaby Powell appeared in answer to charges of drunkenness and helpless drunkenness. Accused, who was suffering from a sprained ankle, had to he helped to the dock by two constables. It was stated that he had already incurred £8 8s 6d hospital expenses in respect to the first charge. In reply to the magistrate, Powell said he was in receipt of money from England. " When are you going to get the next lot 1" asked Mr. Poynton. "We want a share of it this time. It might be better for you if we took it all." Accused was ordered to pay £1 10s 6d costs, in default seven days' imprisonment. ( Arthur Smiles, aged 53, and Cyril Oispa Cotterell, acred 40, both third offenders for drunkenness, were each fined £3, in default s«ven days' imprisonment. The former was also ordered to pay 2s 6d costs. CASES AT ONEHUNGA. A sequel to the recent complaints brought before the Onehunga Borough Council in regard to the wandering of cattle on the streets, occurred yesterday in the Magistrate's Court at Onehunga. The ranger for One Tree Hill proceeded against C. C. Sandford for allowing 22 head of cattle to be on the streets, and a fine of £3 was imposed, with 17s expenses. The Onehunga ranger laid a charge against D. W. Edwards for permitting cows to be at !arge, and defendant was fined 10s, with costs 325. E. J. Drumm wa.s prosecuted under exactly the same and a similar fine imposed. Several motorists were fined for breaches of the by-laws regarding speeding and other matters.