CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23858, 12 July 1939, Page 3

CITY POLICE COURT

Tuesday, July II (Before Mr H. J. Dixon, S.M.) Drunkenness Mary Ann Tohill, aged 76 years, a statutory first offender, was fined 10s on a charge of drunkenness, in default 24 hours’ imprisonment. Constable Assaulted A plea of guilty was entered by Thomas Augustine O’Neill (Mr J. G. Warrington), who was charged with assaulting a constable in the execution of his duty.—Senior Sergeant Claasen. outlining the facts of the case, stated that the assault was not of the usual vicious The accused, who, owing to war injuries, was a permanent inmate of the Talboys Home, was married, and paid the rent of the house in which his wife and family lived. He had visited his wife one day in order to discuss with her details of a new pension and had later returned with his brother, with whom he drank a bottle of whisky. In order to get them .o leave, his wife had had to enlist the aid of a police constable, whom the accused had ordered out of the house and then assaulted. He had been easily overpowered, how £ ever, and had been brought to the station and charged. Mr Warrington outlined the accused’s medical history and maintained that if the assault had been in a public place a charge of drunkenness would have met the situation.—The case was adjourned for three months, the magistrate advising the accused to leave drink alone and to keep away from his wife’s house. If his conduct during the period was satisfactory he would probably hear no more of the charge. Theft of Potatoes

Edwin John Crowe, for whom Mr J. G. Warrington appeared, pleaded guilty to the theft of a sack of potaties, the property of the Co-operative Fruitgrowers, Ltd.—Senior Sergeant Claasen stated that two bags of potatoes were found to be missing from the company’s “ premises in Bond street. After inquiries had been instituted by the police, a bag of potatoes similar to one of those lost was found in a shed in the accused’s property, the theft later being confessed. —Mr Warrington stated that the day on which the theft occurred had been wet, and the accused had had a few drinks. It appeared that, after having taken liquor, he was apt to do foolish things, and a previous conviction in 1935 had been the result of an incident similar to the present one. Mr Warrington also outlined the accused’s family responsibilities and added that the accused was also prepared to take out a prohibition order.—The magistrate stated that the theft seemed to have been committed while the accused was under the influence of liquor and ordered him to come up for sentence, if called on, within 12 months, a condition being that he take out a prohibition order. ** Living on Wits ” “This young man seems to have been living on his wits for some time,” said Chief Detective Holmes, when Stanley Henry Anderson, aged 26 years, was charged with the theft of a brooch valued at £ 1 and an engagement ring valued at £l2 10s, the property of Alice Jane Gunion, and with gaining credit by fraud to the extent of £3 10s from Florence Alice Smith for board and lodging. —The two thefts were of a despicable nature, Chief Detective Holmes said. The accused had been keeping company with the girl from whom the articles had been stolen and had become engaged to her. He had boarded with her parents, and during his stay had stolen the brooch and ring and sold them as old gold. With regard to the third charge, the accused had obtained board by representing that he was employed at the Hillside Workshops. —Mr J. G. Warrington said that the accused pleaded guilty to all three charges and elected to be dealt with summarily. The thefts were difficult to understand, he said, as the accused came from a good home. — Chief Detectice Holmes informed the magistrate that the accused had been before the court in 1935, when he had been charged with the theft of a collection of sovereigns, the property of another girl to whom he had been engaged.—ln view of the accused’s previous record, the magistrate said he would sentence him to two months’ imprisonment, with hard labour, on the charge of the theft of the ring, and to one month’s imprisonment on each of the other two charges, the sentences to be concurrent. Remand Granted

A man, aged 29 years, whose name was suppressed in the meantime and for whom Mr C. J. L. White _ appeared. was remanded until Friday on a charge of having unlawful carnal knowledge of a girl over 12 and under 16 years of age.