GAMING HOUSE RAID.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 21067, 29 December 1931, Page 11

GAMING HOUSE RAID.

SEQUEL HEARD IN COURT.

TWENTY-FOUR MEN FINED. ALL OFFENCES ADMITTED. The 24 men who were arrested on Sunday afternoon when a party of detectives raided a house at 48, Victoria Street West, appeared before Mr. E. C. Cutten, S.M., in the Police Court yesterday. The occupier of the building, Slate Dragovich, or Dragicevich, a Dalmatian, aged 33, pleaded guilty to a charge of keeping a common gaming house, and all the other accused, mostly Dalmatians, admitted having been found, in a common gaming house. The accused were George Polito, James Augustine Egan, Monte Peko, Joseph Jclicich, Joe Radich, Anthony Vlasich, Peter Larich, Karl Putnik, .Robert Gault, Andrew Botica, Mate Kash, Nicholas Logpur, George Katavich, Robert John Coffov, William Alexander Ellis, Peter Bajto, James George Wicks, Ivan Dovich, Samuel Dollimore, George Tulich, Jack Davis, Eric Fleming and Harvey Thomas.

Chief-Detective Hammond said the building, a combined shop and dwelling, had been kept under police observation for several weeks. The place was "fortified" and a 6ft. iron gate at the rear of the premises was barricaded. When the detectives entered the house the accused made a wild rush from the room in which they were playing hazards. A number of chairs in the room was broken by the men as they ran. With the exception of three men who escaped through upstairs windows, all the occupants of the house were arrested. A box of dice was found on a table round which the men had been seated. There was also a quantity of beer, several bottles being partly consumed.

Dragovich, continued Mr. Hammond, had used his premises as a gaming house for at least three months. He had no other means of livelihood. He had not appeared before the Court in the past, however. All the men were inveterate gamblers and all knew the risks they took. The house had previously been raided and two former occupiers had been fined for carrying on gaming.

Counsel for the defence said friendly games were conducted on Sundays only. Dragovich took no part in the games and made nothing out of them.

The magistrate fined Dragovich £25, with the alternative of two months' imprisonment. An application for an extended time in which to make payment was refused.

All the other accused were each fined £3, default being fixed at seven days in prison.