BARMAN DECEIVED BY GIRLS’ LOOKS.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17631, 2 September 1925, Page 7

BARMAN DECEIVED BY GIRLS’ LOOKS.

CHARGE FALLS THROUGH. « THEY WERE POWDERED,” SAYS LAWYER. The ability of women to disguise their age was discussed this morning at the Magistrate’s Court when a barman appeared on a charge of selling liquor to two sixteen-year-old girls alleged to j be apparently under the age of twenty, one. The Magistrate (Mr YVyvcrn Wilson) held that the girls looked over twenty-one and the charges were dis- . missed. j The barman. John Idrys Pickard, of the Occidental Hotel, was charged on two informations that being a person j other than the licensee he supplied liquor to Pearl Amelia Nicholls and Hannah Vera Garnett, persons apparently under the age of twenty-one. Mr Thomas appeared for the defendant. who pleaded not guilty. Sub-Inspector Mathew stated that' Garnett and Nicholls, girls aged sixteen, had been taken into the Occidental Hotel, where they were served with liquor. Hannah Vera Garnett, an inmate of the Point Ilalswcll Borstal Institute, said that on July 13 she was at the Occidental Hotel. She went there from New Brighton with two gentlemen friends whom she did not know. They went into one of the rooms and refreshments were ordered. The refreshments ordered were whisky, gin-slings and shandy. Witness had a gin-sling. Mr Thomas: Gin-slang is “hard tack?”—Yes. You were powdered and painted o:i the day when you were in the hotel? —Yes. You don’t paint and powder now? No. I put it to you that you were soaked by rain and shivering with cold on the way from Brighton.—Yes. You were picked up by the men on the Brighton road?—-Yes. Pearl Amelia Nicholls, aged sixteen, said that on July 13 she was invited into the Occidental Hotel by two gentlemen. She had a whisky. Mr Thomas: Have people ever re--1 marked that you look older than you arc?—Yes. I low do you know that is your age? —My mother told tnc so. You were very cold when the men picked you up?—Yes. , They suggested a drink to make you , warm?—Yes. , In a statement which the defendant made to the police he said that he saw the two girls sitting in the room with the men and he took them to be ’ women about twenty-four or twenty- . five. Mr Thomas submitted that the barman was justified in thinking that the , gii is were well above the age of twenty--1 one. They were powdered and the rain which had soaked them would . make them appear older. Even now after some weeks of institution life ? which would tend to make the girls 1 fresher they still appeared to l>e grown women. Nicholls was fully developed and looked quite mature. Garnett looked mere than twenty-one. 2 “In these days,” said Mr Thomas, - “it is extremely difficult to judge the age of a woman from her appearance.’’ S The Magistrate: Yes. It's hard to - say whether they are twenty or forty. 7 In giving his decision, the Magistrate s said that he agreed with the submi<- * s.on of Mr Thomas. When the girls came before him some time ago he was ■ surprised when he learnt their ages " from the police. They certainly look- * ed like grown women. The charge I against Pickard would have to be dis- * missed. ' J After this decision had been given, the police withdrew the chaxges against the licensee and others in connection with the case.