CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25736, 6 January 1945, Page 9

CITY POLICE COURT

Friday, January 5 (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.)

Attempted Suicide Alleged

A married woman, aged 24, whose name was suppressed, was charged on remand with attempting to commit suicide.—Chief Detective T. Y. Hall said the accused was alleged- to have misappropriated £4OO, and she had become worried and had attempted to take her life. Inquiries had not been completed concerning the alleged theft, and he asked for a remand until January 19. He explained that the money concerned had been paid into a thrift club by 30 members of the firm in which the accused had been employed, and it was alleged that she had used this money for the purpose of paying off the amount involved in another alleged theft. The defendant became despondent, and on December 13 she did not go to work. The next morning she made breakfast for her husband and told him she would go to work a little later. She then wrote a letter stating that she intended committing suicide. The defendant, Mr Hall added, said that she had taken nearly 1000 aspirin tablets. She had gone out to North-East Valley, where she had taken a*bottle of lemonade. She became very ill and wandered back to her mother’s home in a semi-conscious condition. She was attended to by a doctor, and had been in the Public Hospital for some days. No charge had yet been laid respecting the money.—The application for a remand was granted, the accused being ordered to remain in charge of the Salvation Army in the meantime. Bail was allowed in her own recognisance of £25. False Pretences

Harold Newman, a labourer, aged 45, pleaded guilty to two charges of attempted false pretences and one charge of -false pretences.—Chief Detective Hall explained that on December 7 a man named Albert Cyril Maxwell, of Wellington, had lost a wallet containing a cheque book. On December 20 the accused, Newman, went to the City Hotel and handed to the wife of the licensee, Mrs McCormack, a cheque for £2l 6s, purporting to have been signed by “ J. Ballin,” and led her to believe that it was signed by one of the members of the Christchurch Arm of that .name. He received the sum of £2l Ss 3d. The next day the accused again went to the City Hotel and presented another cheque bearing the signature “J. Ballin,” but Mrs McCormack became suspicious aqd refused, to cash it. The accused then went to the Oban Hotel . and attempted to cash the cheque there. Mr Hall said fhe accused was a well-known criminal, and apparently was trying to get “easy money ” before the holidays. He had been before the courts on a number of occasions.—The accused said he had not been charged with false pretences before, and explained that he had been drinking.—The accused was sentenced to four months’ imprisonment on the charge of false pretences and to two months’ imprisonment on each of the other charges, the sentences to be concurrent.

Theft and Receiving Charges William Connor, a labourer, aged 20, was charged with stealing the sum of £B, the property of Alexander McMeeking. Arising out of this charge, William Joseph Salmon, aged 18, was charged with having received the sum of £4 from William ■ Cgntior, knowing it to have been dishonestly obtained. Both 'the accused pleaded guilty.—Chief Detective Hall said that the two accused had stayed at McMeeking’s house, and when McMeeking was absent Connor had gone through a duchesse and had taken the sum of £8 in single notes. Connor went back to Salmon pnd gave him £4. They then went to the city and spent some of the money in drink. When arrested, Connor had £2 in his possession, and Salmon 6s lid. Connor, the chief detective explained, was becoming in-, corrigible, and had been before the court several times. Salmon had also been before the court and had been admitted to a term of three years’ probation.—The probation officer, (Mr E. F. Mosley) said he agreed with the chief detective’s remarks concerning Connor.—Connor was sentenced to a month’s imprisonment, and Salmon was admitted to probation for a further term of one year. The magistrate ■warned Salmon that if he appeared before the court again he would be tent to the Borstal. The accused were ordered to make restitution.