CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22422, 17 November 1934, Page 21

CITY POLICE COURT

Friday, November 16. (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. , - ' Harold Boreham pleaded guilty to a charge of drunkenness, and was fined 20s, in default 24 hours’ imprisonment Senior Sergeant Mac Lean, who said the accused gave a good deal of trouble, told the court that a few hours in gaol would not do the accused any harm, as he had a considerable amount of liquor in his system. FINE OF £IOO. William Prince pleaded guilty to a charge of keeping a common gaming house. —Chief Detective Young said that at 12.20 p.m. on November 9 Detective Sergeant Doyle and Detective Gibson visited the accused’s house, and were admitted after some delay. On that date a trotting meeting was taking place at Christchurch. The usual, betting paraphernalia was found, but some was burned by the accused before it could be seized by the detectives. The two officers remained for a couple of hours, and during that time between 60 and 70 telephone calls were received. A number of people made bets, but others became suspicious and rang off. There was evidence that the accused conducted an extensive business. but he had only one previous conviction. —For the accused, Mr p. J. L. White said the betting was conducted in a private house, and there was no suggestion of annoying the public by betting in hotels or other public places—A. fine of £IOO and costs (10s) wa s inflicted, counsel stating that time to pay was not required. CHARGE OF THEFT. David Adamson was charged with stealing the sum of £BO, the property of Mamaku Forests, Ltd—Sophia Williamson said she met the accused on March 19 last, when he represented to her that he was travelling for the sale of shares in Mamaku Forests, Ltd. She agreed to take shares, at a cost of £lO., She took 90 shares. On the first occasion she paid £2 a 8 a deposit, for which a receipt was produced. Wnen the accused called on March 23, she agreed to take further shares, and a receipt was given for £8 as a deposit paid on them. Thus she had paid £lO on deposit altogether. She arranged to meet the accused at the Post Office Savings Bank, where she paid him a further sum of £9O, for which a receipt was produced. The total payment to the accused was £IOO. She., subsequently received calls from the company for instalments on the shares for which she had already paid. She spoke to the accused about the matter, aiid he said that he had sent the money on to the company. She consulted her solicitors, and finally she received the script to which she was entitled. —Detective Sergeant Doyle said that on November 3 he interviewed the accused and told him that a complaint had been made to the police about the fact that he had not accounted to the company, for the money received from the previous witness. The accused made a statement about the matter. The accused was subsequently charged with the offence, and he replied that he was pleading guilty.—This was all the evidence produced by the police, and , the accused, ■who pleaded guilty, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Bail was refused in the meantime, with the provision that if he was kept in custody for longer than 14 days without being sentenced further application might be made, • ‘ CHIMNEY FIRE. For allowing a chimney to catch fire, Francis William Mitchell was fined 5s and costs (3s). ■ MAINTENANCE. The magistrate remitted the arrears in a case in which Ernest Dickens applied for variation of a maintenance order. Application was made by Ernest Edward Langston for variation of a maintenance order. —The arrears were remitted and the order was suspended for 12 months or until a further order was. made by the court. YOUTH IN BILLIARD ROOM. Arthur John Young Begg was charged with, being the owner of a billiard room, he allowed a person under the age of 16 to remain on such premises.—Senior Sergeant Mac Lean said that a youth of the hoodlum type, along with some others, went into the defendant’s billiard room. The defendant had some doubt about the lad’s age, but foolishly allowed himself to be convinced that he was oyer 16, and permitted him to play. The lad, said the senior sergeant, really looked his age, which was between 14 and 16. The room was fairly well conducted. —For the defendant Mr ,M. Joel said a; conviction might have some effect on' the defendant s license fronv the City Corporation. He was a man of good character and, standing, and counsel suggested that the. charge should be dismissed as trivial.—The magistrate agreed to this course, dismissing the case as trivial. ' ■ ' . ■ THE LICENSING ACT.' For being unlawfully on licensed premises after hours, John Skene was. fined' 10s and costs (10s). _ A similar .charge against William Smith, who was represented by Mr W. H. Carson, was dismissed, the magistrate stating that he accepted the defendant’s explanation with considerable hesitation. UNLICENSED WIRELESS SET. Edward Vance was fined 10s and costs (10s) for operating an unlicensed wireUNREGISTERED PREMISES. George Richard Legge pleaded \ guilty to a charge of conducting a hairdresser s business without a license to do so ; —- The defendant was given 14 days in which to carry out work required by the corporation, and was warned that_ he must not use the premises for hairdressing purposes until the work was completed. PERMIT NOT OBTAINED. T. Scurr, Ltd.) charged with: repairing a building without a permit, was fined 10s and costs (10s). TRAFFIC BY-LAW CASES. Louis Phillips Cabot, who cut a corner and knocked a boy off his bicycle, was fined 30s and costs (18s) .—Witnesses stated that the defendant merely slowed down when he hit the boy and then droye on until he was stopped. The boy said that the defendant asked him how he was, and drove away without waiting for a reply.—Senior Sergeant Mac Lean stated that Cabot called at his office and explained that he did not realise the seriousness of the mishap, and had no intention of running away. _ William Thomas Golden was fined 5s and costs for riding a bicycle on the footpath. _ On charges of riding unlighted bicycles John Leslie Marston and Stanley George Williams were both ■ fined 5s and costs (10s). William Ivan Watson was charged with driving an unlighted motor cycle and also with negligent driving. He pleaded guilty to the first charge and not guilty to the second.—On the latter charge, he was convicted and fined £2 10s and costs. He was convicted and discharged on the other charge. ' , Charles Edward Baines, who pleaded guilty to operating a motor van without proper brakes, was fined 20s and costs (3s). —Similarly changed, Leslie Stanley Campbell was fined 20s and costs (3s). For driving without a license, Andrew Joseph Francis Brown was fined 5s and costs (3s). ... On a charge of negligent driving, Richard Donaldson, who pleaded not guilty, was fined £4 12s and costs (13s), with witness’s expenses (8s). George William Jenner pleaded not guilty to a charge of failing to give way to traffic approaching on the right.—After hearing evidence, the magistrate dismissed the charge. CHARGE OF FRAUD. David Thomas Lilburne was charged with incurring a liability to Jessie Eraeline Gibbons for the sum of £1 12s 6d, for board and lodgings, thus obtaining credit by fraud. —The accused, who pleaded not guilty, was represented by Mr W. H. Carson.—Chief Detective Young stated that the complainant was a widow who kept a boarding house. On September 11 the accused called on her and asked for lodgings. He stated that he was employed by a coal company and was interested in a coal mine at Waitati. He was given board, and stated that he would pay for this on the 13th. On the 13th he told the complainant that he would not be paid till the 20th, but he would then pay for his board. He did not pay on that clay and left on the 21st without paying the amount owing and without giving notice. Wien inquiries were made by the police, it was found that the accused's statement that he was employed by a coal company was incorrect. The chief detective added that he intended to call evidence that this was a systematic course of conduct on the part of the accused. In particular, evidence would be called that he had left a board-