Thursday, April 19, 1866.

Timaru Herald, Volume IV, Issue 101, 20 April 1866, Page 2

Thursday, April 19, 1866.

[Before B. Woollcombe, Esq., X.M.] Peter Martin charged Sergeant Sugrue of the police force, stationed m Timaru, with being, on the 17th inst., unfit to pei-form hia duty when required to do so. Peter Martin, sworn, deposed : I am a digger. On the nighfc of the 17th instant I went to the police office, and reported the circumstances of a theft. I saw the sergeant the same night. I thought he was the worse of drink. I spoke to police constable Cook m regard to the robbery, who requested me to give the information to the Resident Magistrate. I accordingly did so yesterday. Examined by sergeant Sugrue : I saw the sergeant yesterday morning at 5 o'clock, and he went with me to two public houses, searching for a man suspected of the robbery. I didn't know whether the man is arrested or not. I The sergeant here interfered with the business of the Court, requesting to know if Mr. Woolcombe was both prosecutor and the sitting Magistrate, whereupon the Resident Magistrate informed him that if he spoke again he should commit him to prison for contempt of Court and on police constable, Richard W. Cook being sworn to give evidence, the sergeant repeating the same question, the Hesident Magistrate accordingly committed him to prison for contempt of Court, until to-morrow morning (this day), when the case will be further gone into. The Hesident Magistrate also remarked that the sergeant had apparently been drinking, and that if the police allowed him to be brought before him again m the same condition, he would lay a complaint against them.