CITY POLICE COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 19374, 9 January 1925, Page 9

CITY POLICE COURT.

Thursday January 8. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) Drunkenness. —Lily Pearson was fined 5s for drunkenness, with the alternative of 21 hours’ imprisonment. Theft of Clothes. —Tee Kong, alias Tec Tong Gun, alias Tee Ngn, was charged with having, about January 2, stolen a blue serge suit valued at £4 10s and a raincoat valued at £2 10s, ,the property of Donald M’Donald. —Accused, when asked how he desired to be tried —in the lower or upper court, applied for an interpreter.—On one being procured he elected to be tried by the Magistrate.—Chin Foy said he kept a laundry in llattray street, and accused had worked for him. He had kept on absenting himself from his work. Witness had paid him £3 10s a week, and had given him his keep. He did not owe accused any wages.—Accused said that Chiu Poy owed him wages for two weeks and four days. Foy had last paid him when he hud “sacked” him. —Detective Beer mentioned that accused had complained to the police about being robbed of £240 after the races, but investigations had proved fruitless. Accused did not appear to be in very great favour with the Chinese residents. The suit of clothes was not damaged, and would only require to be brushed up again. Accused had been brought down from Christchurch, and expenses to the extent of 22s had been incurred. There wan also the cost of the interpreter.—The Magistrate said it was quite clear that some payment in wages was due to accused according to his idea, and evidently he had taken the clothes to hold as a pledge for payment. He (Mr Bundle) did not think that there had been any criminal Intention. If accused had paid expenses he (Mr Bundle) would have dismissed the case, but accused bad no money. He would be admitted to probation for three months, and ordered to pay £2 15s 6d expenses. The police could inform the Labour Department as to the claim that there was money due to accused, and it could inquire whether there was any truth in the statement made. —The interpreter was than consulted as to the possibility of obtaining the expenses from accused, and he finally passed his word that they would be pa(d. Under these circumstances Mr Bundle said he would not enter up .1 conviction, ns he was not satisfied that the man intended to steal. The case would be dismissed, subject to the payment of expenses incurred by the State. Issuing a False Statement. —Stanley Bertram Robertson was charged with having, about December 29, obtained board and lodging from Mrs Williams to the value of £1 by means of fraud—to wit, by means of a false document. —Detective Boer said that on December 17 accused had come to Dunedin with little or no money. He slept out till December 2(1, when it became wet, and he went lo Mrs Svilliams, and obtained board and lodging on the strength of a letter purporting to be signed by the captain of the Tremeadouw. It was afterwards discovered that the letter did not come from the captain.—The Magistrate: The document was obviously a forgery. To accused: What have you been doing?— Working at Garston. —What is your age?— Twenty-three.—When did you come to Dunedin? —On the 17th. —A little over a week before this charge was laid.—What were you doing?—l was doing nothing. I was trying to get a job at my trade.— Where do you come from ?—I come from Invercargill.—-The Magistrate to the police: Is there anything known against him?— Detective Beer said that there were two previous convictions against accused. Accused had been identified by someone in court as having been at Uavensbourne. There had been a theft down there, but the parties would not take any action In the matter. —The Magistrate said this was a very crude robbery, and was like the action of a boy. Unfortunately for accused be had been before the court previously—at Palmerston North, where he was sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment; and at Invercargill, where be had been convicted of theft and fined. In the present instance he would be sentened to two months’ imprisonment. Ship Desertion.—Charles Henry Jones was charged with having, on February 29, 1924, then being engaged as a trimmer on board the s.s. Corinthic, deserted from that vessel at Wellington.—Senior-sergeant Mathieson stated that accused had deserted from the Corinthic in February of last year, and the police had been hunting the country for him ever since. He had been arrested in Dunedin, and a representative of the shipping company had stated that considerable expense had been occasioned in consequence of the man’s desertion. The company asked that the penalty be sufficiently heavy to prevent a recurrence of this sort of thing.—John Jeffery stated that the Shaw, Savill, _ and Albion Company pressed for a conviction and the payment of £2 7s expenses. The local representatives had no instructions from Wellington, but accused was not wanted back on 'board the ship. Witness could not say whether there were any wages due to accused.— Senior-sergeant Mathieson stated that accused had been in custodv ainco the 6th inst. —Accused said he was going back to the Manuka, in which he had been working. He had been paid off that boat.— The Magistrate convicted and sentenced accused to 48 hours’ imprisonment or payment of £2 7s. Vagrancy.—A youth was charged with being an idle and disorderly nerson at Wedderbum. —The Magistrate: Have you got any money?.—Yes, 2s.—Senior-sergeant Mathieson stated that tbe boy was not sound mentally. It had been thought that he was under 16 years, but it was found that he would be 18 in July of this year. In consequence of complaints, it had been discovered that the accused was deeping out, begging food, and he was a general nuisance. The father could do nothing with him, and the police had been trying to get him into some institution. —The Juvenile Probation Officer (Mr Lock) said the father had seen him about the boy, who was mentally deficient. Ho had no idea of the charge that was laid against him. It was a question whether the boy should not be kept under supervision and sent to a home.—Mr Bundle said he would treat accused as a juvenile. He would remand "the ease till Monday, and application could be made in the meantime for a reception order and medical examination. —Mr Lock said he rvould look after the boy in the meantime.