POLICE RAID SEQUEL

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 11, Issue 48, 2 July 1947, Page 5

POLICE RAID SEQUEL

INTOXICANTS NEAR DANCE TEN MEN CHARGED A visit to a local dance hall by the police while a dance was in progress had its sequel in the Whakatane Court on Tuesday when ten young men were charged either with consuming or being in possession of intoxicants near a dance hall while a dance was in progress. Those charged were: Charles Honeycombe, Edward Parsons, James D. Butler, Archibald Cox and Geoffrey Hunt, all of whom were charged with consuming liquor near the hall. Honeycombe and Cox did not appear but were represented by Mr Otley. Appearing on a charge of being in possession of intoxicants were: Douglas Smeeton, Billie Penny, Trevor Dodunski, William Lord and Richard J. Turpin. Of these Dodunski and Lord did not appear. All pleaded guilty. Sergeant Farrell stated that on May 24 the police had visited the Caledonian Hall while a dance was in progress. All those charged had been found either consuming or in possession of intoxicants. He mentioned that many complaints had been received concerning this particular hall. Broken bottles and bottles thrown into private property been the cause of the majority of complaints received. First Offenders , The defendants all pleaded guilty. Without exception they were first offenders and most expressed the desire that it should be their last offence.

Fines of £3 (costs 10s) were imposed in all cases.