CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21365, 19 June 1931, Page 2

CITY POLICE COURT

Thursday, June 18. (Before Mr J. R. Bartholomew, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. Robert Joseph Moore was convicted and discharged on> a charge of drunkenness, and was ordered to pay £2 16s medical expenses for treatment while m ga ° L CHANGE OF PLEA. Albert Ernest Hooper pleaded guilty to a charge of being found drunk and not guilty to a charge of casting offensive matter. —After hearing the police evidence the defendant said that he did not remember what had happened, and he wished to change his plea on the second charge to one of guilty.—A fine of 10s, m default 24 hours’ imprisonment, wAs inflicted on each charge, REFORMATIVE DETENTION.

John M'Cullough Forsyth appeared for sentence on a charge of obtaining £2O from Donald Hadfield by falsely representing that he was in a position to employ as a motor driver any person who was prepared to pay him £2O. —The magistrate said that reports about the accused were unfavourable. He would be detained for reformative treatment for one year.—Chief Detective Quartemain said that he had received a communication from the Christchurch police saying that Forsyth was wanted on two charges of false pretences there and was suspected of other offences—The accused was remanded to appear at Christchurch tomorrow. YOUTH’S LAPSE.

Robert William Paul, a postal officer, who was represented by Mr White, was charged with stealing a postal packet containing £2 10s in bank notes and a postal note for 2s and also with, on dates between May 4 and May 13, stealing postal packets containing £l, 10s m money, and 6d worth of stamps and £4 in bank notes respectively, all the property ot the Postmaster-general—Agnes Reeves and Margaret Crawford Dawes gave evidence regarding the non-delivery of the letters. —Leslie F. Smith, assistant supervisor of the clerical branch at the Dunedin Post Office, said that the accused had been employed as a messenger boy at North Dunedin. When interviewed bv witness the accused had admitted the thefts. He had been quite frank about the matter. His previous conduct had been quite satisfactory—The reused pleaded guilty, and was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence, bail being allowed in the accused s own recognisance of £SO and one surety of £SO. An application for suppression ot the name was refused. THEFT OF TOBACCO. Arthur Gavan, alias Arthur Palmer, alias Andrew Gavan, was charged with, on June 3, breaking and entering the warehouse of Charles H. Tucker and Co. and stealing tobacco and cigarettes of a total value of £lls Os. The accused was represented by Mr White.-Lawrence Brown, storeman for Tucker and Co., said that when he lett the warehouse on June 2 all windows and doors were in tact. Next morning he found Iw a back window had been broken. If there had been only one burglar it have taken a long time to bring the tobacco downstairs. S'wo bottles of sauce were consumed on the premises, and this could scarcely have been done by one man.—Detective Turgis said that he had intoi viewed the accused, who had admitted the offence. In his statement the accused had said that on June 1 he hired a car in Christchurch and left for Dunedin, accompanied by two men whose names he did not wish to disclose. On June o he arranged to meet these men with jus cai outside Tucker’s warehouse at 11.40 p.m. Later he noticed that half of the double door was open and there were tour sacks leaning again the building. He P u **od up before the building and loaded the sacks into the car. He was to see the other men in Christchurch, where he was to hand the sacks to a certain tobacconist, whose name he would not mention, ihere were, in all, eight sacks, but some of them were small. He left the warehouse and made for the Main North road, but i\hen three miles north of the Brown House the car capsized at a corner. He went on after righting the car, but it developed engine trouble and he was arrested at Todd’s garage in Timaru. —Mr white stressed the accused’s statement that he did not enter the warehouse himself.— The accused was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence.