ABUSE OF TELEPHONE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20640, 12 August 1930, Page 12

ABUSE OF TELEPHONE.

FINE OF £SO IMPOSED.

CONNECTION MADE TO SHOP.

INSTRUMENT IN A SHED. [BY TELEGRAPH. —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] WHANGAREI. Monday. For wilfully interfering with the operation of a Government telephone Charles Schon, bootmaker, was fined £SO when ho appeared in the Whangarei Magistrate's Court to-day before Mr. G. N. Morris, S.M. Schon pleaded guilty and elected to bo dealt with summarily.

Detective-Sergeant Robertson said investigations revealed 25yds. of wire connecting Schon's shop with a telephone in a shed at the back. A buzzer was found in accused's shop. This was used to allow him to know when ho was wanted on the telephone. Tho wire was concealed in piping under tho ground. Defendant once had a telephone, but after ho was convicted some timo ago for bookmaking tho Post and Telegraph Department had the instrument taken away. When tho police searched the premises they found slips and racucnrds, indicating clearly that it had been used for some purpose in connection with racing. Mr. 11. K. Trimmer, for accused, snid a man named Foster had had a telephone installed in the shed, but for some reason or other he was not ablo to carry on his work there at tho time, and allowed Schon to use the premises as a garage. Foster asked Schon if he would take any messages for him on the phono. What accused foolishly did was to connect a load. It was not a case of intercepting a wire, but purely and simply of connecting it up properly. As far as bookmaking was concerned, said counsel, it was admitted that Schon had once been convicted, but it would bo a travesty of justice if that were taken into consideration in the present case. If there had been any ovidence sufficient to take it into consideration, Schon would have been present on a charge of bookmaking. The magistrate said a penalty of one year's imprisonment or a fine not exceeding £IOO was provided for such an offence. It was obvious that as far as damage was concerned this case did not warrant such a heavy fine, but apart from that there was an irresistible inferonco that the connection had been made for betting, lie had thoso facts, that a short time ago Schon was convicted for bookmaking, and the Post and Telegraph Department removed tho telephone. Tho next thing was the present charge, which was to his mind flouting tho law. Mr Morris said he belie\ed in treating first offenders leniently. Ho had treated Sclion leniently and ho appeared to have abused that leniency. Consequently he proposed to deal with this case seriously. Ho had considered whether he would inflict imprisonment. The magistrate then drew attention to the remarks of the Chief Justice on the subject, that such fines should not be regarded just as a means of revenuemaking, but as a deterrent to bookmaking. In imposing the penalty he intimated that a further offence would mean imprisonment.