BAD RECORDS

Wairarapa Daily Times, 18 January 1932, Page 4

BAD RECORDS

VAGRANTS SENT TO GAOL. METHALATED SPIRITS ADDICTS. “These men Your Worship are of a most undesirable class and we don t want them about this town at all, said Sgt. Dyer of Patrick Sullivan, 55 years of age and James Edward Ward, 52 years, who were each sentenced to two months’ imprisonment by Messrs. E. G. Eton and W. 11. Jackson, in the Magistrate’s Court this morning on charges of being idle and disorderly in that they had insufficient lawful means of support. Pleas of not guilty were made by both men. They were arrested in a hut in Johnston Street last night following complaints that they had been begging from door to door in that stieet for the greater part of yesterday. When arrested they were found in a hut iii a half drunken state through drinking methalated spirits.

It was stated that Sullivan had been seen accosting people in Queen Street and that Ward had been making a nuisance of himself by begging in the suburbs of the town. Ward when refused assistance by the Hospital Board became abusive.

Sgt. Dyer stated that both the accused had very bad records. Sullivan since 1903 had had 26 previous convictions in various parts of the Dominion, including charges of breaking and entering, assault, theft, resisting the police and receiving stolen property. Ward had had 15 previous convictions which included theft and breaking and entering. “These men are of a most undesirablo class and we don’t want them about the town at all,” said Sgt. Dyer who added that the town was free of such men and the police wished to keep it clean.

“I paid the Government dole of £1 7s 6d last Monday and it is pretty hard being charged with this,” said Sullivan when asked by the Bench if he had anything to say.