POLICE COURT.

Auckland Star, Volume XXXVI, Issue 34, 9 February 1905, Page 5

POLICE COURT.

YESTERDAY. (Before Mr H. S. Wardell. S.M.) A Parental Beating. —A little girl named Frances Fannie Pritchard was the complainant in an assault charge against her father. William D. Pritehard. It was mentioned by the police that Pritchard lived apart from his wife :ukl children. The complainant's evidence was that her father nier. her in the street, took her home and beat her with a thick walking-stick, bruising her back and wrists. Questioned by Mr Burtrm, who defended, the witness sai-1 tfai* reason for her father beating her so severely was because she said to some gir]> as her father passed them in the street that he walked on the road to save his boots, and that lie was a brute to her mother. His Worship deckled that the case was not one in which he could interfere, and the inforli'ntion was dismissed. Mr Wardell remarked this morning in connection with the case that he did not wish it to be understood that he countenanced such action, as he did not thmk a stick vv.i < a suitable instrument of punishment. THIS DAY. i Before Mr H. S. Wardell, S.M.) Inebriates. — Three first offending drunkards were convicted and discharged, and a fourth who failed to attend Court wag fined fl. Daniel Drummond, :i second offender within six months, was fined 10/ and costs. Alleged Robbery.—James McCarthy, of Avoiiaale. was charged with breaking , iiiiil entering the dwelling of William Rutler. at Avondale, between February 4 and (j. and stealing a billy can. a set of jrold studs, a white sliirt. and a towel, of the total value of 34/. The police applied for a remand until Wednesday. but the application was opposed strongly by the accused, who said lie wished to prove his innocence at once. Mr Wardell asked to hear sufficient evidence to justify n remand, and Constable O'Grady deposed that when he visited McCarthy's house yesterday he saw the billy can and a towel from outside the house. By the time he was admitted, the can had been broken up. and he found it stuffed belli nd a grate. McCarthy denied that a billy can had been kept in the house. Upon this evidence Mr Wardell granted the remand until Wednesday. "Into the Jaws of the Lion."—John Rich, a young man. who was summoned for riding his bicycle without a light in ■iervois-road. Ponsonby, after sunset, told the magistrate that he did not know, until he jumped ofi' in front of a constable, that his light was out. "You jumped into the jawg of the lion." commented the magistrate, when he imposed the usual fine of 5/ and costs. A Grave Charge.—A very grave charge, that of committing an unnatural offence upon a small boy of six in the Auckland Domain en January 9th, and a similar offence upon another boy on February 7th at Freeman's Bay, was made against a young man named Victor Henry Simmonds, alias Simpson, in the Police Court to-day. The accused had been arrested yesterday afternoon by Detectives McMahon and Fahey, and when he was brought before Mr Wardell, S.M.. this morning, a remand until Wednesday was applied for by Chief Detective M&rsack. Thi; was granted. and the accused did not apply for bail.