MAGISTRATE’S COURT

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVII, Issue 10956, 19 July 1921, Page 7

MAGISTRATE’S COURT

YESTERDAY'S SITTINGT Mr F. K. Hunt, S.M., dealt with police and ’ maintenance cases yesterday at the Magistrate’s Court. Si* first-offending inebriates suffered the usual light penalties. One first offender who used bad language in a railway carriage was fined £1 and 40s on the two counts. i A man named Joseph Johnson made his eighth appearance' for drunkenness and his tentfi for a breach of his prohibition order. He was also charged with the theft of an overewat v alued 'at £2, from some, person unknown, and which he alleged, to have been obtained from “a man in the street” with m.oney given him by another man “who had had a good win at the races.” 1 His Worship decided that Johnson should be removed from temptation for three months to come, and convicted and discharged him on the two lesser counts. William Simpson, for whom Mr J. O’Donovan appeared, entered a plea of guilty Ao a charge of theft of a 71b tin of jam. of a value of 5s 3d from the Union S.S. 00. Accused alleged that he had been given the jam by an old messmate on board the Maori, and on Mr ©’Donovan's. plea the magistrate decided to. impose a light fine. Simpson was accordingly fined £1 and witnesses’ expenses 20s, and allowed a week to find the money. . Patrick J. O’Connell, who admitted the theft of a pair of roller skates valued at £2 from Arthur Power, was fined £2 and ordered to refund the sum of Ss which he had obtained for the skates at a second-hand shop. On the chief-detective’s recommendation the magistrate decided to prohibit him, in addition.

Walter S. Fisher was charged with the theft of a man’s bicycle or a value of £4 from Charles W. Longhurst. The chief-detective stated, that on June 15th accused had borrowed the bicycle from a neighbour. Subsequently he had entered an auction room in the city and given instructions for the disposal ofthe cycle, stating that he was acting as agent for a man at Johnsonville. On the application of Mr A. B. Sievwright His Worship decided to fine Fisher 40s and witnesses’ expenses 20s. John Thompson, who was convicted' of assault and drunkenness, was fined 40s and ■ 10s pn the two charges and ordered to pay witnesses’ expenses 10s.