SPORTSMEN FINED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 08, Issue 89, 13 July 1945, Page 5

SPORTSMEN FINED

I GAME LAW BREACHES CONFISCATED GUNS RETURNED At the instance of the Conservator of Fish and. two prosecutions were brought before Mr E. L. S.M. ii* the Whakatane Magistrate's Court last T<uesd»ay. In both cases substantial fines were inflicted. Roland Stewart Webb was charged u-ith shooting a cock pheasant at Matata on May 26 without Having-; •the necessary shooting license. In a statement to the court defendant said he had been out shooting rabbits and that when the bird was put i£P' he could not resist shotting at. Evidence by Ranger Francis bore out the statement. The minimum fine of £5 with costs 25s was imposed. Richard Thomas Melted (Mr Otley) was charged with taking more than ten head of grey duck in contravention of the regulations-whilst shooting at Matata on May 12. The Ranger stated that defendant had shot a total of thirteen duck when he was accosted. | Counsel said that defendant who was aged twenty was shooting on. the first morning of the season whichi was misty. When he first saw tie birds he was under the impression that some of them were spoonbills, but when he had collected them he found them all to be grey duck. A fine of £3 and costs 20s was- imposed . An interesting point "raised by the first defendant was a formal request to the court for the return of the two sporting guns which had been confiscated in compliance with the law in both cases. The Conservator in reply to a question by the Magistrate, said that he had had infstruct ions from the Minister of In-» ternal Affairs to return all confiscated fire arms in the event of convictions being recorded.