CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23004, 6 October 1936, Page 3

CITY POLICE COURT

Monday, October 5 (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS A first offender, for whom Mr O. G. Stevens appeared, was charged with drunkenness and with having wilfully broken a window valued at £1 12s 6d.—Sergeant O'Shea stated that the defendant, while under the influence of liquor, had on Saturday evening alighted from a taxi in Moray place, and, stumbling on the footpath, had fallen against a window and broken it. He had, however, made good the damage, and in the circumstances the police requested that this charge be withdrawn. —The magistrate agreed to this course, and, expressing the opinion that the defendant had been sufficiently punished by having to pay for the window, convicted and discharged him on the charge of drunkenness. THEFT OF COAL Adam Brockie, for whom Mr J. L. Calder appeared, was charged with having stolen a quantity of coal valued at 2s, the property of some person unknown.—Sergeant O'Shea said that"at 1.30 a.m. on Sunday, the accused, who was in a drunken condition, was observed by a constable carrying a sack along Cargill road. Asked what was in the sack, he replied " coal," and added that he had picked it up from a railway siding.— Mr Calder stated that the accused was muddled with liquor when he committed the offence, which was really the foolish act of a drunken man. He had no need to commit the theft, as coal had been delivered at his house the previous day. He had never been before the court previously, and in the circumstances, counsel asked the court to deal with him as leniently as possible.—Remarking that the offence was a difficult one to detect, and that the proceedings would probably act as a severe leson to the accused, the magistrate imposed a fine of £2. MAINTENANCE Gordon Grant Austin was charged with disobedience of a maintenance order, the arrears under which, to August 24, were shown to be £3.— The defendant was sentenced to 14 days' imprisonment, to be released on payment of £7 10s. The warrant was ordered to be suspended for 10 days.