BETTING WITH BOYS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7047, 8 February 1910, Page 1

BETTING WITH BOYS

BOOKMAKERS BEFORE THE COURT. A CONVICTION AND AN ACQUITTAL Laying odds with infants was the offence with which two bookmakers were charged at the S.M. Court yesterday. Mr P. W. Jackson appeared for both defendants, whilst Detective Cassells conducted the prosecution. One defendant entered a plea of, guilty, and was fined £lO and costs. 'The other pleaded not guilty, and the information against him was dismissed. Mr IV. G. Riddell, S.M., was on the Bench. Both offences were alleged to have taken place at the Wellington Racing Club’s meeting, .at Trentham, in , tho outside enclosure. Two informations were laid against each defendant, but in..each case the transaction - was in; 1 effect . a', single one, and the charges were taken togethor. , . ■ . . . The first case heard was that against George Hyde, and in it a plea of guilty was entered. The detective said that he saw the accused receive money from and record a bet with one Arthur Harrington, aged nineteen. “In fairness to the defendant,’’ added the witness, “I will say that at the time there, was a good crowd around and apparently the defendant was pushed.” Mr Jackson said that his client had been in business as a bookmaker for over twenty years, a.nd the present was the first occasion on which he, had to answer a change of this nature. In a rush a lad, especially a lad of Harrington’s mature appearance, might easily pass Without doubt regarding his age being raised. The case had already involved his client in considerable expense. ' - , His Worship said rushes constituted one of the ordinary risks attached to the hookmaking business. A fine of £lO would be inflicted in the one case and accused would be required ro way _y:osts (amounting to .£3,105) in connection with both. " THE SECOND CASE. Charles Young was tho other defendant, Arthur Thompson, also aged.nineteen, being , the boy with Whom the unlawful transaction -was alleged to have been concluded. Thompson said that he asked for and received (on payment of - ss) two tickets—ono on Full Sail and one on Ambala. After the race his father presented one of the tickets and received the money on the first horse. To Mr Jackson : He had bet on race, courses previously, both on tho machine and through bookmakers. The last time ho had so betted was at Christchurch. He went to the defendant alone. There was no one about at the time. Mr Jackson: Did he put any questions to you before he issued the tickets/’ —He asked me whether X was twenty, one. .

.And what did yon say?—l said "Yes.” Bid yon presume he ashed you to enable the tickets to be issued? —Yes. , Detective Cassells said that he saw Thompson tender money and receive tickets just as the race was about to start. There was no one else near at the time. Mr Jackson submitted that in the face of the evidence and of the wording of section 07 of the Gaining Act the In formation must be dismissed. Of course, where there could be no question as to the person, to whom the ticket was being an infant 'the law would that an accused person ought to have known. The defendant, by his action in asking, showed that he was in doubt, and he took the precaution which he should, under such circumstances, have taken. Sub-section 4of section fit, counsel submitted, met the Case, and on it he would’ rest his defence. The subsection read —" . . . with any

person apparently an infant shall, if such nerson is an infant, be deemed to have known such pex - son was an infant unless ho proves that he had reasonable ground for believing and did believe such person to be of full age. . .” The "person" in this case was a wclJgrown young fellow having all the appearance of being twenty-one, and the mere fact that the accused asked him his age and that he told an untruth should absolve the former.

Mr Riddell agreed that the subsection quoted met the ease, and dismissed the information.