AKAROA RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

Akaroa Mail and Banks Peninsula Advertiser, Volume 3, Issue 308, 1 July 1879, Page 2

AKAROA RESIDENT MAGISTRATE'S COURT.

....' ■ ; Friday, June jJS.. ■.—-•- - (Before H. hT Fenton, 'Esq., J.P., and I his Worship the.Mayor.)' A ' A ■ LUNACY. . . John Robinson, sawmille'r, Le Bon's Bay, was charged with lunacy. -j ; According to the evidence of Drs Guthrie and Watkins, the unfortunate man was suffering from religious mania, and was unfit to be at large. The Bench ordered the prisoner to be sent to the Asylum. The Court; then adjourned. V _; \Mondat, June 30. (Before 11. H- Fenten, Esq., J.P., and his Worship the Mayor.) LARCENY. John Mander was charged with stealing a watch, the property of Mr F. Moore. Mr Nalder appeared for the accused. Constable Scott deposed that he was in West Chamberlain's on Friday evening last, when Mr Moore reported to him that his watch had been taken. On the following morning ho arrested prisoner and charged him with stealing the watch. Prisoner admitted having had tbe watch, but said Moore had given it to him to keep. By Mr Nalder: Gave prisoner tho usual caution before taking his statement. Prisoner had returned the watch before he was arrested. , . Frederick Mo ore deposed that oh Friday evening he was in Chamberlain's bar. Prisoner .was there. About half-past .nine, missed his ■•watch. ■ Some "sky-lark'ingi." had been' going on. • ■ Next mbrriing. prisonar brought him the watch, saying— •' There's tho watch you gave me to keep." Never gave hitn-the watch to keep." ■■ For'lho dofence, Mr Nalder.called W. Chamberlain aud '■¥. " Aklrjdge, apparently, with the object of showing that -prisoner and the rest of. tho. company were the worse ior liquor, and that the whole aflair had been nothing more than a drunken lark. The demeanor of the latter witness in the witness-box was, to say the least of it, most unbecoming, and he narrowly escaped being loeke'd up for contempt of Court. He, deposed that on the evening in question ho himself was " tight," and

that he did not consider prisoner was sober. Mr Nalder urged that the circumstances of the case disclosedjnq felonious intent. TkSyH'ad alt" been", drinking and larking togetheV Before any charge had been made against him, accused' had returned the watch. ,-" . The Bench considered the offence fully proved. The return of the property did not condone the offence, though it would be taken, into consideration in awarding punishment. Prisoner had already been convicted of stealing vegetables. He would now be sentenced to four months' imprisonment with hard labor. The Court then adjourned.