HEAVILY FINED

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 10, Issue 87, 27 January 1947, Page 5

HEAVILY FINED

LOCAL BOOKMAKERS IN COURT

DUAL PROCEEDINGS TAKEN Fines of £l5O each were in-, flicted upon two bookmakers operating in. Whakatane, and who were charged before Messrs L. S. Brown and C. S. Armstrong in the Whakatane Police court last Friday morning. Proceedings were instituted by Detective-Sergeant R. H. Waterson and Detective Seddon, of Gisborne. Of the first accused, Joseph Plamas, Detective Waterson said that he had been carrying on the business of bookmaking over a number of years and had been before the court on numerous occasions. He was reputed to be in a big u way.

Pleading guilty, Plamas denied that his business was substantial. 'There were others operating in a much bigger way than he. He was convicted and fined £l5O. The second accused James Clarence Dempster Rivett pleaded guilty to a similar charge.

The Detective-Sergeant said that he too had' been operating over a long period, his first appearance in court being in 1937. He likewise was reported to be in a substantial way.

The last allegation was rebutted by accused who declared that he was only operating on his own and was merely holding the position in the hope that ultimately bookmaking would be legalised and he, licensed so that he could conduct his business openly. A similar fine of £l5O was imposed.