MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 16471, 6 July 1921, Page 8

MAGISTRATE’S COURT.

TO-DAY’S CASES. CHRISTCHURCH. (Before Mr Wyvern Wilson, S.M.) DRUNKENNESS. Two first offenders for drunkenness were fined 10s. A statutory first offender was fined £l. in default three days* imprisonment. Charles Brown for being drunk while in charge of a horse and cart in. St Asaph Street on June o. was fined .Cl. PAKATOA NO MORE. “ I want to go to Pakatoa.” May Houston said when brought up on a fourth charge of drunkenness. t| “ 1m not going to send you there, the Magistrate said. 44 You must be dealt with in some other way. You will be sentenced to one month’s imprisonment.” A LOADED REVOLVER. Walter Jones, a middle-aged man, was charged with carrying a revolver beyond the limits of liis dwellinghouse without a license, and with being in possession of ail unregistered firearm. Constable Tiffin said that on tne evening of .Tune 7, he took defendant to the hospital- Defendant was suffering from injuries which, he said, were inflicted by a man who assaulted him. Tho constable found a loaded revolver in one of his pockets- Defendant admitted that he had carried it for several days, but ho gave no reason for his being armed Defendant said that he bad had tho revolver for years, and usually carried it in the pocket of his working coat. He had neglected to remove that coat oil the day on which he was injured, and had neglected to unload the revolver. The Magistrate said that defendant was liable to a fine of £l5O and to imprisonment. Tho circumstances of the case showed that it was a bad one. Defendant was carrying a loaded revolver. and became mixed up in some kind of a fight. Those were the very circumstances in which a man should not be in possession of a loaded revolver. He would be fined £5 foi carrying a firearm without a license. On the other charge, he would be convicted and ordered to pay costs. Defendant, in reply to the Magistrate said that he was a carpenter, hut had no means. He had lived in St Asaph Street, but now was in one of the Salvation Army’s homes. His family was grown up. The Magistrate gave him ten days in which to pay tho fine. The revolver was forfeited. SENT TO MOUNT MAGDALAWhen Catharine Baker, thirty-nine years of age, Kaiapoi, convicted of being an idle and disorderly person and of having broken a prohibition order, was placed in the dock, SeniorSergeant C. W. Kelly said that she might be sent to Pakatoa or to Mount Magdala. The authorities at Mount Magda la were willing to take her. He suggested that she should be sent there again if she agreed to stay there two years. ,e It’s not a bad place for her to live in always, I daresay,” the Magistrate repled. 14 I don’t see why the country should be put to tho expense of sending her to Pakatoa, at the other end of the Dominion. She will l>e convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, on condition that she goes into Mount Magdala Homeland stays there for two years.” REMANDED. James Hall Morris, charged with stealing two pairs of trousers, valued at £4, belonging to Charles Burton, was remanded till July 14. BICYCLE THIEVES WAITED. John Henry Sergent, alias Shadbolt, and George Dobbie were charged with having stolen a bicvcle. valued at £B. belonging to John Henry Elstob, on June 25. Evidence was given and accused made statements. Sergent, who pleaded guilty, was committed to the Supreme Court for sentence. Dobbie said that he was guilt-** of sellinp- the bicvcle, but not of stealing it. Ho elected to be dealt with summarily. The Magistrate convicted him. Senior-Sergeant Kell-" said that Dobbie was thirty-five years of age. was single, and had been convicted of theft ana of breaking and entering. The Magistrate said that Dobbie had made himself a partv to theft, and had sold the bicycle in order to make a few* shillings. He referred to the .large numbers of bicvcle thefts, and said that he would impose a sentence of imprisonment in order that people should be warned against stealing bicycles. Some people, apparently, regarded it as a commercial transaction, taking the risk of stealing bicycles in order to sell them. Dobbie would be sentenced to fourteen days* imprisonment. POSSESSION OF FIREARMS. Michael James Carrol, Ashburton, waa charged with having delivered possession of a firearm to a person not entitled to possession of it. The charge was made under the Act passed last year dealing with firearms. Defendant pleaded guilty. Ho said that he was not aware that he was committing an offence when he sold the rifle. The rifle was registered. Senior-Sergeant Kelly asked for a small fine. The Magistrate said that defendant had lost time in coming to Christchurch, and had been punished in that way. He would be fined 10s and costs. LYTTELTON. (Before Captain R. Hatch well, J.P., and Mr F. Knights, J-P.) A first offender for drunkenness was convicted and fined ss. Annie M’Grath for a breach of her prohibition order, was remanded to appear at Christchurch on Tuesday next. John Brown, charged with using obscene language in a public place, was. fined £3 and costs. Patrick Feighan,'* charged with being drunk and using obscene language was convicted and discharged for drunkenness, and fined £5 or a month’s imprisonment on the second charge. Andrew Templeton appeared on three charges of being drunk in a rail wav carriage, committing a grossly indecent act on the Lytelton Railway platform and refusing to give 4 up his railway ticket when asked by the guard Evidence’ was given by the guard regarding accused’s refusal to give up his ticket. Tho Bench said that tho offences were very «erious but they were taking into consideration the fact that accused was drunk- Ho would he convicted and discharged on the charges of being drunk and refusing to give up his ticket, and he would be sent to prison for one month on iho charge of indecency. Frederick John Johnson and William Joseph Crew* (Mr Tracy) two members of the crew of the s s. Orari, were charged with assaulting Victor Geo. Grevett. After hearing evidence the Bench w*ero satisfied that the assault had taken place, and fined Crew £1 and Johnson IQs.

Mr T. I>. Boag is reported to be very seriously ill. The Harbour Board, of which Mr Hoag is a member, carried a motion to-day sympathising with hira tu his illness.