CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18754, 6 January 1923, Page 14

CITY POLICE COURT

Friday. December 5. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) Theft of a Bicycle.—Charles I.eslie Bare, young / man 19 years of age, pleaded “not guilty" to the theft of a man’s bicycle, valued at £6, the property of Robert Croak—Chie-deteclivo Bishop said that the accused had admitted stealing the bicycle and had signed a statement to that effect, and for that reason no witness had been brought to court. Ho asked that the matter should be adjourned till Monday.— Hie remand was granted, bail being nxed at £SO, with two sureties of £25 each.— Subsequently the accused asked leave to withdraw the plea of “not guilty,” and pleaded, -“guilty.”—Chief-detective Bishop said that tho complainant was chef at tho Grand Hotel, and had left his bicycle in the cellar there. Accused had been seen by a man named Mr Woods to take tho bicycle. The latter' had said to. tho accused : “That doesn’t belong to you,” to which the accused replied; “Shut up. or I’ll crack you.” A day or two later Bare had brought the machine to the detective office, and said that he had taken it, from a boy in the street who ho thought had stolon it. —-The accused, in reply to the magistrate, said that he had taken ihe bicycle for “a, bit of fun,” and had intended to return it. He had first taken it to the South Dunedin Police Station.-- i The Magistrate remarked that it was a ; dangerous “bit of fun Mr F. G. Cum- | ming, Probation Officer, said that tho ac- j cused had been before tho Juvenile Court j some time ago, but bad not been placed | on probation.—Tho accused was given a ] further chance, being admitted to proba- ! tion for a period of two years. Alleged Indeeent Exposure.—Michael j Donovan appeared before the court on a i charge of wilful indecent exposure at the sandhills, St. Kilda, on December 28. —On tho application of Sub-inspector Eccles tho accused w’as remanded till Wednesday to enable his counsel te appear for him Bail was allowed in £IOO with two sureties of £IOO or one of £2OO. A Despicable Theft.—Horace Raymond Edlin, who had pleaded guilty to the theft of a silver wristlet watch valued at £3. the property of John Leaf, appeared on remand—Sub-inspector Ecclos said that the accused, who was n fireman on tho s.s, \Vaipori, shared a cabin with another man. The watch had been hanging up in the cabin, and had been stolon from there. Tho accused, when questioned by Constable Parkhill, had made several contradictory statements. Tho watch had not boon recovered, the accused alleging that ho had flung it into Lakn Logan. His record was pretty bad, although ho had had a good chance of recovering himself. He was over 16 years of ago, and was therefore an adult.—Mr F. G. Gumming. Probation Officer, said that it was correct that the accused had had a chance to make good His list of offences was a [ fairly lengthy one for a youth of his age.— | 'lhe Magistrate said that tho theft was a despicable one, and as the accused had

already had a chance, ho would be sentenced to two years’ reformative treatment. Cargo Pillaging.—Sydney William Bate, a seaman off the s.s. Kent, pleaded guilty to a charge of stealing 25 pairs of men’s underpants, 2 jerseys. 18 pairs of ladies’ stockings, and ono dozen handkerchiefs, of a total value of £ls, tho property of the Federal Steam Navigation Company.—■ Chief-detcctivo Bishop said that the accused had been remanded for sentence in order that inquiries could bo made into his character. It had been found that since October last he had been employed as a seaman on the s.s. Kent, and belonged to respectable parents. Ho had made two previous trips on the Kent, during which pillaging had been going on. On tho last trip Homo tho contain had discharged some of tho crew at London, but had not sus-

pected the accused at the time. Tho accused bad admitted stealing the goods ar. Auckland, and said that ho had taken them off the ship at Port. Chalmers and sold them at Dunedin. All the stolon property had been recovered. Pillaging w'a.s a serious thing, but after considering the young man’s previous character and a good report from the captain of the ship, tho ohiof-detective thought he might lie deserving of a chance.—The accused said bo was 21 years of age, and bad never before been in anv trouble. He was very sorry for what bad occurred, and said that bo would not break the law- in future.—The magistrate said that a serious view was rightly taken of pillaging, not only because it was a crime difficult, to detect, but also because blame often fell on other men who w'ero innocent. 1 11 consideration of the accused’s youth and previous good behaviour bo would lie let off with a fine of £5, in default one months’ imprisonment. Maintenance.—John Haxton Thomas Stark, w’ho was proceeded against by bis wife for disobedience of a maintenance order, was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment. and ordered to he released on payment of arrears amounting to £l6 10s. Bail Refused.—William John Quan was charged with stealing £l3 10s in monev. (ho property of John M’Kew’en Hardy Campbell, on December 26, 1922. —The accused, who pleaded not guilty, elected to be tried bv a jury, and was remanded till January 1? —Pail was not erupted. s By-law Cases,— Hector Walker was fined ,ss, with costs (7sl. for riding a bicycle on tho footpath at St. Kilda. Cecil Cedric George Oaten was fined 15s, and costs (7s), for allowing a chimney to catch fire. Hilary Ferris Brown was fined 10 s, ami costs (7s). for driving a motor car on tho wrong side of the road. Cases Adjourned.—Tho hearing of a charge against Elizabeth Payno of having assaulted Thelma. Wilson, was adjourned 1 ill Friday, and the a gainst William Philp of using obscene langmjff’win Maclnggam street was also adjourned till Friday.