CITY POLICE COURT.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20354, 10 March 1928, Page 23

CITY POLICE COURT.

Friday, March 9. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) A SERIOUS CHARGE. Alexander Smith, for whom Mr C. J. L. White appeared, pleaded guilty to having unlawfully assaulted Alice Twist at Dunedin on March I.—Senior Sergeant Quartermain said the accused was living with his wife at her people’s place in Maitland street. The house was one which the police had had under observation for some time. On the night in question, the accused, who had a very violent temper, had apparently been in a drunken fracas in the house, during which he struck the woman so severely on the head with a piece of wood that she was taken to hospital suffering from concussion.—Mr White said the facts were as stated by the senior sergeant, but he pointed out that the accused was drunk at the time ho committed the assault, otherwise he wquld not have harmed the woman, with whom, ordinarily, he was on good terms. The accused was a hard worker, and had a wife and two children. Senior Sergeant Quartermain produced Smith’s record, and pointed out that he had two previous convictions for assault. — Mr White admitted this, but said the offences wer© committed 10 years ago. lie suggested that the accused be put under some restraint and prohibited. If he weie sent to gaol, his wife and children would suffer.—Senior Sergeant Quartermain: We would look after the children, vour Vorship; the house is a disorderly one.— His Worship said he did not doubt 'hat drink was responsible for the accused s action, but the assault was a serious one. and he could consider himself fortunate that the results were not more serious He would be convicted and sentenced to two months’ imprisonment. A DARING THEFT. A charge of having stolen from Clinton Hanson Urwin Spence was preferred against Emmett James Hussey, on whose behalf Mr B. S. Irwin entered a plea of guilty.—Chief Detective Cameron said that on Thursday afternoon Hussey approached the complainant in Maclaggan street, and asked him for the price of a drink. The complainant took no notice ot him and walked on, whereupon Hussey grabbed th© watch and chain and ran oil with it. He was arrested later, and taken to the police station, where the stolen articles were found in his possession.-Mr Irwin said that drink was the cause n the accused’s trouble, and that if he had not been under the influence of liquor on the afternoon the offence took place, not hav© committed it.-On perusing the accused’s record, the Magistrate remarKed on the fact that he had twice previous'* been convicted of assault, and ordered him to be remanded in custody until Monday. AN INTOXICATED MOTORIST. After having been adjourned to allow the evidence to be considered, the case of William Foster, who pleaded not guilty to being intoxicated whilst in charge of a motor car at Shag Point, again came before the court.—The defendant was represented by Mr C. J. L. White.—His Worship said that after hearing th e case, he had come to tfie conclusion that the locality in the charge should he altered from Shag Point to the Main North road, and this was agreed to by the prosecution.—Ther© had said the Magistrate, been a great deal ot conflicting evidence given, but after reviewing it he was convinced that the defendant was intoxicated. He would, therefore be convicted. —Mr White asked that his Worship, in inflicting a penalty, would not cancel the defendant’s license. As a result of the proceedings, which had cost him a good deal of money, he had lost his position, and was now using the car for hawking fish. If he lost his license, this would impose a great hardship on him. —The Bench agreed to consider the question of penalty, and further adjourned the esse for a week. MOTOR CAR CASES. For beimr in charge of an unlighted motor car, frrank Leonard Hunt was fined 6s and costs (10s). Similarly charged, Frank Callender was fined a like amount. A fine of ss, without costs, was imposed on Sydney Benjamin Taylor, who also left his car unlighted Percival Claude Corbett and William Comerford, for similar offences, wer e fined 40s and costs Cecil Rawlings Murray was charged with exceeding the speed limit at Abbots ford. Constable Feely said that th e de fendant passed one car at 31 miles an hour. The charge was dismissed. William Comerford, for a similar offence, was fined 40s and costs. Jack Shaw was charged with driving at a speed dangerous to the public, at the corner of Cargill road and King Edward street. It was stated that be was travelling at 25 miles an hour. He was fined 20s and costs. Dorothv M, Kyle, ' for driving dangerously at Ravensbourne, was fined 30s and costs.—For leaving his car without lights, George Bennett was fined 5s and costs. A second charge was dismissed. Charles Albert Black was charged with driving an unlicensed motor cycle, and with being an unlicensed driver. The first charge was withdrawn, and on the second the defendant w r as fined 5s and costs. William Thomas Charles Reynolds pleaded not guilty to riding a motor cycle without a proper silencer. Evidence was given by Constable Feely, who said that the exhaust pipe was perforated with holes, which counteracted th© effect if the silencer.—“ It is unfortunate these bicycles cannot go before an inspector before they are passed,” said his Worship. “You take it to the traffic inspector of the City Council and ask him for his opinion of it. The ease will be ad journed to March 16. If the inspector thinks it is too noisy you had better get it fixed up.” SANITARY REGULATIONS. William Gumming Hendry was charged with failing to sprav manor© outside his stable with a mixture approved of by the inspector, and fined 20s and costs. It was stated that the defendant appeared on a similar charge last year. “He was warned that if he came before the court again on a charge of this nature a heavy penalty would be inflicted.