Chinese In Court Over Loan Of Rifles

Chronicle (Levin), 7 August 1948, Page 4

Chinese In Court Over Loan Of Rifles

When a Chinese, Sang Sue, of Ohau, loaned his .38 caiibre rifie to another Chinese, a youth, Wing Young,. of Beach Road, his action led to a douhie proseGution in the Magistrate's Court, Levin, yesterday. Both were charged with deiivering possession of a firearm without a permit. It was stated by Serge'ant W. Grainger that Sue had given the rifie to Wing Young on March 27. Defendant had admitted handing the rifie to Young and his explanation was that Young- and a party were going shooting on the East Coast the following morning, and he (defendant) had been unable to- go with them. • When the- party arrived at Putorino, near Nuhaka, Young had given his own rifie, a .22 caiibre, v-to a cotisin, retaining the other. - -The prosecutions . ' had arisen out of inquiries made following' a .complaint from a farmer at Putorino; that a herd of goats had been shot at, when it was aScertained that the offences now before the court had been committed. / Appea-ring for defendants, Mr. N. M. Thomson said that Young had passed over the rifie to his companion for a few shots, and ciaimed that the charge ^ against him was# accordingly trivial and shouid be dismissed. Commenting that Sang Sue shouid not have given his rifie to Young, Mr. H. J. Thompson, - S.M., convicted ah'd fined that defendant £1 10s., He agreed, he added, that the other charge was a minor one and in the circumstances would convict Young and order him to pay costs only. Costs in both cases were 10s. As a sequel to police inquiries regarding the goats being shot at, Frank Dynes Rolston, of ^ Ohau, I was charged with deiivering possession of a firearm without a permit to a nephew, Trevor Ambrose Rplston, who_ was a member of another shooting partv. He was. fined 30s. On a charge of obtaining the rifie without ^ the neeessary permit; Trevor Rolston was also fined 30s.