SPORTING

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXXXII, Issue 60, 8 May 1924, Page 3

SPORTING

• "KINUIMMN" OF.,'MKE DINGO. ACCUSED FOUND GUILTY. Per Press Association. IJiUiedih, May 7. The Supxtcpne Court was again well filled to-day to hear the continuation of the evidence in the case of thv alleged 'Munging-in". at the Gore trotting'meeting in October of last year i of The Dingo for the trotter Kingsdale. The accused, John Richards and Walter Leonard .lames/ Cameron, ' are. indicted on four counts of conI spiring to defraud the Gore Racing Club, William Francis James, and i the public. The four counts brouglf) I against tiie accused were:—(l) On or i abotf't October 1, 3923, at 'Dune-din, j they did conspire one with the other by traduleut means to defraud the public and in 'particular William Francis James and the Gore Racing Club; (2) on the same date they did j conspire one with the other to c'orn- | mit a crime punishable by imprison- 1 i mont with hard labor for three year.-:, namely the crime of obtaining moneys from the Gore" Racing'Club by false pretences by representing the trotting horse named The Dingo to be the trotting horse named Kingsilaie; (3) ">n or about October 20. 1323, at Gore, with intent to defraud, they did attempt to obtain fron the Core Racing ,Club the sum of £95 by means of a certain false pretence by representing The Dingo to be Kingsdale (4) on the same date at Gore with intent to defraud they did obtain from William Francis James the sum of £IOB7 10a j by means of a certain false pretence by representing The Dingo to be! Kingsdale. Members of the Jury were kept together last night. They slept at an hotel under poliie. guards. Earlier in the evening they went fo a place of amusement under escort. After the remaining witnesses who had given evidence in the lower court had been examined, Mr Adams. Crown Prosechtor, intimate*! that he had a fresh witness, and one who had not given evidence in the lower court.

Mr Hanlon said the defence had no notice of what the fresh evidence was to be ; : i :

Mr Adams said the witpasH, arrive'! from Christchurch last ,nlght. , He had notified Mr Hanlon five minutes after he knew, the witness wai- -wailabb:. Hw Honor perrir'te.d. : t!'•• witness to be '.-alledi.i.'. •;-•-•'•

I OswaldfEdmond Hooper, a neighbour of'MdN.ill's, said no knew * Dingo, He had seen it driven ab- »t the,-.roads since it was'young, and half times he had ridden and d.riyen.it i.imself. This morning he examined a horse in yard, and to the best of hi s 'belief it w.as The Dingo.

To Mr Sinclair witness said he had coiue to Duned'in because he had brought some horses down for the meeting.here to-morrow. When he was here in .January he went ioGrant's; sTofblfe'' and recognised the horse in the box as The Dingo. This closed the case for the Crown.

,For the defence both Mr Hanlon an" Mr Sinclair intimated that they would' call no evidence. Afterjttip adjournment for luneh the horse, in'the police yard was taken to Stuart'Street and,.rhlden in hopples .by Arthuij Butterfjeld'.ior.the benefit of ,the jury! ' The demonstration attracted a, large crowd'.,.

Mr Haiidon, addressing the jury, stressed the point that. Richards had acted in a very straight-forward manlier, and pointed out that it wa s unlikely that he would be engaged in a conspiracy. When he went 10: James on .the totalisator opening he got a betting book from him, ga"e him a blank cheque, and afterwards was paid his winnings by cheque. That was not the action of a man conspiring. The point most strongly emphasised by counsel was that the liorse shown to the jury stood 15 hands three inches high, while the measurement of The Dingo taken by McNeill, the' horse's former owner. was lu hands, 2j inches. The judge, in summing up, painted out that the measurement of The Dirgo was taken ty an amateur and that it might not have been quite accurate.

The jury, after a retirement of half an hour, returned with a verdict of guilty against both accused on the first and second counts, and added a recommendation to the New Zealand Trotting. Association to exercise greater care in accepting nominations.'

The judge complimented the police on the manner in ,which they had collected the evidence. Sentence was -deferred.