MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2285, 20 October 1914, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

LODGER ROBS ANOTHER, THIEF'S THEORY OF THE THEFT. Mr. D. G. A. Cooper, S.M., presided at tho Magistrate's Court yesterday. Cherles Henry Thompson, an accountant, was charged with stealing £17 from Charles B. Dore. Thompson pleaded guilty. . Chief Detective Broberg explained that accused and Dore were fellow lodgers. On October 16 Dore returnedto his room and found th'at a box which In had left locked up, with £17 in it, had been broken open and the money stolen. Dore told accused, who replied that he too had had £20 stolen. The police were informed and accused suggested that a new lodger had taken tho money. Detectives Lewis ond Andrews made inquiries, and found that accused's tale was a bogus one and arrested him. In 1908, said the Chief Detective, accused had been sentenced to 20•months' gaol in Auckland on ten charges of indecent exposure, and' later two months for theft. Mr. 0. C. Mazengarb, who appeared ■on Thompson's behalf, pleaded that the only thing to be dono was for accused to leave the country and make a fresh start in some place where his past would not be brought up against him. The Magistrate imposed a sentence of three months' gaol; £15 of the stolen money was recovered and ordered to be handed to the owner. PICTURE THIEF; CONVICTED. Kenneth Hinanam, who was sentenced to a tcTm of imprisonment on Friday last for stealing a picture from Albert Eaton, was further charged with stealing anothor picture valued at £2 25.; from the same,person. He pleaded not guilty to the latter charge and was defended by Mr. P. W. Jackson. The Magistrate, after hearing the evidence, convicted the accused, but in viow of the fact that the offence was committed during a drinking bout, took a lenient view, and imposed a sentence of seven days in gaol, concurrent with the eeven days imposed tho previous Friday. Inspector Hendrey said that accused had eixteen previous convictions agains him for theft and that no doubt drink was responsible. The Magistrate accordingly decided to take out a prohibition order against accused; for twelve months. . ■ 'ATTEMPTED SUICIDE. A young married woman, Rose Seccorii (represented by Mr. P. W. Jackson) was charged with attempted suicide. She pleaded not guilty. , Inspector Hendroy explained that she had been drinking and had come home and quarrelled with her husband. Later she 'had taken half a bottle of irritant poison. "Had it .not been for prompt medical attendance,", concluded the inspector, "she might have appeared before 'a Higher Court instead of being here to-day," ' ... The Magistrate ordered accused to ha convicted and ordered her to come up for sentence when called upon. She was also ordered to pay medical expenses, £1 13s. 6d, "A PITIABLE CASE." William John Bodmore, a young man of disreputable appearance, and his eye heavily bandaged, was charged with .being a rogue and a. vagabond. Inspector Hendrey explained that the, ease was rather a pitiable one. Accused had; come down to Wellington to get treated for a disease of his eye, but evidently did not know how to go about it, with the result that he had soon got down to his last shilling. Hβ had been discovered after midnight sleeping in the Stewart Timber Company's I yards. The inspector suggested that'ho should bo sent to the Ohiro Home where he could get medical treatment. The Magistrate, agreed ,to this, and accordingly discharged tho man. '

'•■'•' OTHER CASES. Two well-dressed young men, Thomas Mahoney and/ Edwin A. M'Farlane, pleaded guilty to using obscene language in a railway carriage between Wellington and Johnsonville. The pair had been down to seo tho troops off and had had too' much drink afterwards, The Magistrate' imposed fines of. £3 with costs in each case. The alternatives were fixed at one month's' gaol in each case. Fourteen days were allowed in which to find tho money. George F. Sievers, etock agent, of Ekotahuna, who was arrested by Dete'etivo Lewis at Petone, was charged with failing to account'for £29 lCs., .received from Braddock Bros, for payment to the New Zealand Loan Company., ■ . . On the application of Chief Detective Broberg accused was remanded to appear at Masterton on Friday. Mr. P. W. Jackson appeared for accused and asked for bail, which ivas allowed in £100 and two sureties of £50. Harry M'Ginty was ordered to enter into a bond of £25 to keep the peace with John Donald for twelve months. Elizabeth Brady was convicted of being an incorrigible rogue and ordered te como up for sentence when called upon. This course was taken' as- Inspector Hendrey said sho had made an at reformation by voluntarily going to the Salvation "Array Home for a poriod. A prohibition order was also taken out against her for twelve months.

For drunkenness Mary Wakcliam, an old offender, ivas ordered to pay £1 Is., medical expenses incurred, in dofanlt ■ three . days' gaol; a prohibition order was taken out, against Tier for one year. William Ballantyne a prohibited person,, was fined 405., or seven clay's on a similar charge. George William Jackson was fined 205., or three days. Chas. Henry Latham was fined I.os. or 48 hours for. committing a breach of )iis prohibition order. William John Anderson was ordered t<| be imprisoned for three clays for disobeying a maintenance order, the arrears of which totalled £2.