CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25364, 23 October 1943, Page 7

CITY POLICE COURT

Friday, October 22 (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) Theft of Postal Packet Florence Sanmartin McPhee, aged 49, was charged with having stolen a postal packet.—Senior Detective Hall said that as a result of thefts of parcels which had occurred from time to time at the Chief Post Office a test parcel was prepared. When it was missed inquiries were made, and it was subsequently found in a shopping bag belonging to the accused, who admitted having put It in the bag. The accused was a charwoman in charge of other charwomen at the Post Office.—The accused's explanation was that she had intended to hand the parcel to the head floorwoman, but had forgotten to do so.—The magistrate refused to accept the accused’s story, and said he had no reasonable doubt that she had placed the parcel in her bag with the intention of stealing it. She would be convicted, and the case would be adjourned for a week, during which period she would report daily to the probation officer. War Pensioner’s Offence What were stated to be the first prosecutions under the War Pensions Act, 1943, were brought against Thomas Hughan Bradshaw, aged 51, a labourer, who pleaded guilty to having received a pension to which he was not entitled. He was also charged on two counts of having made a false statement under the Act, and with having failed to disclose his true financial position when called on to do so.—The defendant, Senior Detective Hall told the court, was a returned soldier from the last war, and as a result of a wound in the right forearm was in receipt of a war disability pension of 17s 6d a week. In 1935 he was, in addition, granted an economic pension of £3 14s 6d per week, but, although he commenced work again in March of last year, he continued to draw this pension, and to sign declarations to the effect that he had no income or assets. Actually, from March of last year to June last he had been working for a nurseryman and had been in receipt of £5 3s a week, so that in pension he had drawn £273 13s more than he was entitled to. The Pensions Department, Sergeant Hall added, had no desire to be harsh with pensioners and harass them with unnecessary inquiries, and for this reason it relied on their honesty to furnish true particulars as to their circumstances.— Mr O. G. Stevens said that the defendant, who was a married man with a family, had an excellent record. The work he had been engaged on had been more or less casual, and as he did pot know when it might cease he had succumbed to temptation and continued to sign declarations.—The magistrate, remarking that pensioners were put on their honour to disclose their circumstances, admitted the defendant to probation for three years on the first charge, restitution to be made as directed by the probation officer. On the other counts a conviction was entered. 1 Conversion of Cars

Raymond Edward Fryer, aged 17, a milk runner, pleaded guilty to two charges of having unlawfully converted a motor car to his own use.—Senior Detective Hall explained that in company with a boy who would be charged before the Children’s Court, the accused had removed a car from King street. They drove to Port Chalmers, where the car went over a bank and was abandoned. A few days later they took another car, and on this occasion went for a trip to Milton. On the return journey, however, they again drove over a bank and abandoned the car. Both cars, Sergeant Hall added, were Austins, the ignition keys of which were useless for preventing theft. In both cases it appeared the doors had been left unlocked.—The accused was remanded in custody for a week to allow further inquiries to be made. A Customs Charge

John Cunningham (Mr C. J. L. White), a bar manager, . aged 34, pleaded not guilty to three charges of having, as an agent, assisted in the sale of uncustomed goods.—Mr H. S. Adams appeared for the prosecution.—The evidence for the prosecution was that in November of last year Customs officers, when making inquiries about pillaged goods, discovered that a stock of toilet combs was on sale in a pharmacy in the city. The manager, when interviewed, said he had purchased them through Cunningham from a man named C. A. Collins, and produced receipts signed: ”C. A. Collins, per J. C.” Cunningham, when questioned, said that Collins was a hairdresser in Wellington, and that the corqbs were the balance of a supply he had bought for prizes at a roll-down show at the Centennial Exhibition. The money received for the combs, Cunningham said, was remitted to Collins at Timaru, Cunningham later admitted that he had obtained the combs sold to the dispensary from a member of the crew of an overseas vessel, but he did not know at the time that t)ie man was a seaman. In all, 1884 combs and 153 hair nets were involved in the three charges, and the duty and sales tax would amount to £2O 19s 9d. Some of the combs were also sold to other buyers.—The evidence of the collector and sub-collector of Customs was taken, and the hearing was adjourned until Friday next. Other Charges John George Winton was charged with being an idle and disorderly person in that he had no lawful visible means of support.—He was convicted and placed on probation for two years. John Maloney, a labourer, was fined £1 10s and costs for casting offensive matter in a publ'c place. For exceeding the speed limit in an urban area, David Kelles Copland was fined £1 10s and costs.