COURT NEWS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 184, 10 July 1940, Page 5

COURT NEWS

CHARGES OF CRUELTY FINES AND IMPRISONMENT! - At the monthly Sitting of the Opotiki Magistrate's Court, "on Monday, before Mr E. L. Wailton, S.M., T:< aged 24, a labourer of Te Kaha, was charged , that on 6th May he wilfully caused suffering to a dog by throwing a-, at. it. The dog was the propc|ly : ' of IVIr Smith. Accused pleaded n(£t 'guilty Accused faced a similar charge, i the klleged offencc occurring on 4th July. The dog in this instance was . owned by Mr H. J. Walker. Ac-t cusext pleaded not guilty. . To a' third charge of being a rogue faud ;a vagabond oin Ist June at Te :Kaha,- ; accused ple'aded guilty. ' Sergeant J t Isbister, - who prose-' feuted, .said; that; .in reference to the third charge, / accused attended a •dance at Te Kaha on 31st .May, at> 'which two maids from the >Te Kaha.. Hotelwere present. About 144 hours . after the girls gob. to the hotel, one; ■ ■ 'girl was awakened by" someone open ing' the bedroottt. do6r, and she' saw Someone standing by the. other girl's bed. She "got ouf.pPbedqmetiy. and switched on tlie light. Ac- . cused tried to cover up Jiis; face and: ran away. Accused had' fceen - trying to imitate the acts of Wild West. - , Cowboys by throwing knives and. lassoes. „ - N A Frank ' Giving evidence on the first charge, concerning cruelty «to Mr - Smith's dog, Mr E. Goodchild\ said that he was managing the Te Kaha Dairy v :Factory for Mr .Smith .about . the time when the offence occurred* On Monday, 6th May, he noticed blood running down the dog's leg. The dqg was a well-bred sporting clog. * Miss M. Sterling said that she saw accused throw a knife at Ijlief ' dog and cut its leg which bled. Ac- * cused jumped off his horse and picked up the knife. Witness told Mr Goodchild the . next day of the oc-* currence. Mr H. J. Walker, who is in " charge of the Te Kaha Store, said that on May 4th Tie saw accused - ride paist the store in the after- . noon. Accused went over the hill ; and witness' dog followed' him. Witrtess heard the dog squeal and when he called the dog he was 3vounded, U: . Nobody else but accused was about . at the time. Mr Hei, who appeared for accus—. Ed, said that in regard to the chargeof being a rogue and vagabond', accused franlcl3 r admitted it. He knew*" t the two, girls well. In regard to ther second charge Jie had advised hisclient to plead guilty. On the first charge accused. was convicted and fined £2 and costs;.-, on the, second charge he was con—. vict'ed and fined £5 and costs; and?., on the. third charge he was convict— ed and sent to prison for weeks. : "