CITY POLICE COURT

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26215, 27 July 1946, Page 3

CITY POLICE COURT

Friday, July 26 (Before Mr H. W. Bundle, S.M.) Desertion from Ship John Thomas Davey, 33 years of age. for whom Mr J. P. Ward appeared, pleaded guilty to a charge of deserting from a British ship at Wellington on May 30, and was sentenced to one month's imprisonment.—Senior Sergeant H. Hogg said that Davey had been an assistant steward on the Arawa, and that he came to Dunedin when he deserted in Wellington.— This was not an ordinary case of desertion, Mr Ward said. Davey was working in Wellington in August, 1945, when he received a message that his father was dying in Cardiff. He signed on a ship for a round trip to New Zealand, but when the ship was in the United Kingdom strikes intervened and he was paid offHe put his name down for the first ship back to New Zealand, and since he had always intended to resume his work in this country, he felt justified in deserting when he returned. Davey had an honourable discharge from the British Army.— In reply to the magistrate, Davey said that he was born in Cardiff and deserted his ship when he first came to New Zealand in April, 1945. He had been punished for that offence.— ’’ The circumstances may be peculiar,” the magistrate said, " and you may have been unfortunate. Nevertheless, you have deserted from your ship twice.” Drunkenness Andrew Coburn Goodlet, a labourer, was fined 20s for drunkenness.