CITY POLICE COURT

Southland Times, Issue 21579, 17 December 1931, Page 5

CITY POLICE COURT

A LONG LIST OF OFFENCES ABOUT FIFTY DEALT WITH. A long list of minor offences were dealt with in the City Police Court by Mr E. C. Levvey, S.M., yesterday morning, and several more serious offences were also considered, one sentence of two months with hard labour being imposed. In all about fifty cases were considered during the morning. George Gray, Riverton, was charged with being in default with the March and June instalments of his unemployment levy and was fined £1 on each chargj with costs 12/- and 10/-. Archibald Flint, Dipton, who had recently paid his levy, was charged with similar defaults and was fined 10/- with costs 12/. and 10/-. For disobedience of a maintenance order, the arrears of which amounted to £l9, Charles Joseph Butler, Te Anau, was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment, to be released on payment of arrears. James Ryan, aged 21, of Christchurch, was charged with being an idle and disorderly person in that he had insufficient visible means of support. Detective-Sergeant Hewitt said that accused had left his home in Christchurch and had come to Southland. He had been sleeping out and had been found at the back of a shop in Bluff. He had a spade in his possession and it was thought that he had been considering breaking into the shop.

Counsel for accused said that accused’s parents were pensioners and could not undertake the responsibility of looking after him. Accused was convicted and remanded for sentence on Friday, the probationer officer to report in the meantime. Charges of Theft.

A young woman, whose name was suppressed, was charged with the theft of 16/5 in money, a lady’s handbag and cloth, ing valued at £2 7/5 at Dunedin on November 5, with the theft of a lady’s wristlet watch valued at £3 on August 18 and the theft of a lady’s dress ring valued at £l2. Accused elected to be dealt with summarily and pleaded guilty to all charges. Detective-Sergeant Hewitt said that the accused was not much over 17 and had very decent parents. She was at present staying with her married sister. The probation officer recommended probation and his worship agreed to this course, admitting accused to probation for three years after warning her to return to her parents and keep straight. By-law Breaches.

For riding bicycles on footpaths the following were each convicted and fined 5/and ordered to pay costa 10/-:—Frank Allison, Austin Dale, Frank Hogan, Ethel McChesney, Agnes Mclntosh, Robert McDonald, Win Gellately and Robert Rogerson were ordered to pay costa 10/- only. For riding a bicycle without a light James Roy Wilson was convicted and ordered to pay costa, 10/-. For failing to give way to a vehicle on his right, Aubrey Wilfred Israel was fined £2 with costa 13/- and witness's expenses 10/-.

Thomas Hugh Marshall, who pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle without a license, was fined £l, costs 10/-. Vernon Kingsland, for a similar offence, was convicted and ordered to pay costs 10/-. For failing to register a firearm, Arthur Reeves, Fortrose, was convicted and fined 20/- with witnesses’ expenses 34/-. On a charge of being unlawfully in charge of the same firearm accused was ordered to pay costs 10/-. Several charges of having sold milk below the legal standard were laid, the Crown Prosecutor appearing on behalf of the Health Department. He explained that there was no evidence of adulteration, the milk apparently being of very poor quality. Annie C. Popham, Orepuki, was convicted and fined £l, costa 10/-, analyst’s fee 10/- and solicitor’s fee £3 3/-. Susan J. Spear, Colac Bay. and Margaret Tielie, Orepuki, were each convicted and fined similar amounts with similar costs. Noisy Motor Cycles. Leonard Butler, Gladstone, was convicted and fined 20/- and costs 12/- for riding a motor cycle without a silencer, the Magistrate remarking that if the motor cycle nuisance did not cease he would have to increase the fines to £lO. For riding a motor cycle with an insufficient silencer Alexander Ritchie, Grassmere, was convicted and ordered to pay costs 12/-. For a similar offence William Scott, Invercargill, was fined 20/- and costs 10/-. Scott was also convicted and fined 20/- and costa 10/- for riding a motor cycle without a 'license. Margaret L. P. Halligan, Invercargill, was convicted and fined 20/-, costa 16/and witness’s expenses 20/- for passing a stationary tram in a motor car.

James L. Matheson, Gore, Norman McKay, Orepuki, and Edwin J. Sutherland were each convicted and fined 10/-, with costa 10/-, for failing to keep to the left of a traffic dome. A mild sensation was caused in the Court when Constable William Nesbit was charged with alleged wilful damage on the complaint of Patrick Gallagher. Nesbit pleaded not guilty. Gallagher, in evidence, said that he had been ill and had been in hospital and while he was there Nisbet broke into his cottage. In reply to the Crown Prosecutor, who represented Nesbit, Gallagher said Nesbit had admitted that he had opened the cottage door. When asked if Nesbit was the man who had made the admission, he said he was not in the Court. In dismissing the charge the Magistrate warned the complainant against making charges when he was not sure of the person he wished to proceed against. Complainant was ordered to pay costs, £1 1/-. Alex Gray Clement, Mataura, was charged with negligently driving a motor cycle at Rakauhauka and with failing to report an accident to the police. Clement, who was represented by counsel, pleaded not guilty and evidence was called. After hearing the evidence the Magistrate said that Clement was guilty of a technical offence in not reporting the accident, as an accident should be reported when a person was injured, even slightly. The first information was dismissed and Clement was convicted

on the second charge and ordered to pay Court costa £l, and witnesses’ expenses £2 3/-. Two Months’ Imprisonment. Clifford Peel, Tokanui, an undischarged bankrupt, was charged with having obtained credit amounting to £lOO from the National Bank of New Zealand without having disclosed that he had not secured his discharge. Accused elected to be summarily dealt with and pleaded guilty. The Crown Prosecutor said that accused had been adjudged bankrupt in Wellington in 1921 when the deficiency in his accounts was £14,000. He had started a carrying business in Southland and had again been adjudged bankrupt with a deficiency of £l9OO. The offence was a serious one and he apked for a severe penalty. Counsel for accused said that the position was not as bad as the figures quoted made it appear. Accused had been unlucky. He had secured contracts for the carting of timber and had bought lorries, but the mills had closed down on account of the present financial conditions and he could not enforce his contracts. There was nothing criminal in accused’s dealings and counsel asked for leniency. The Court could not accede to the view taken by counsel, the Magistrate said. The charge was a serious one and accused would be convicted and sentenced to two months’ imprisonment with hard labour. Two other similar charges were withdrawn.