MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2806, 26 June 1916, Page 8

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

POLICE CASES. ■ Ou Saturday morning Mr. AV. G. Ridtlell, S.AI., presided at the Magistrate's Court. Win. Drane, a previous offender, was fined 20s. or forty-eight hours' detention for insobriety. A youth, sixteen years of age, named Alox. Ogden, having absconded "from the training farm at Weraroa,' was arrested by the police, and the Magistrate ordered his return. As far back as December 20, 1915, a maintenance order on his wife's behalf had been obtained against David Geor„*o Hislop, but he was found in arrears the sum -of; is on February last. His ,wil'e told the Court that Hislop had paid her .nothing since that date, and the Magistrate informed the .'husband that unless he contribtued £X per week to his wife's maintenance, beginning as from July 1, ho would go co prison for one month. ■'for absenting himself without leave a soldier, Private Jas. Samuel Grant, having'pleaded guilty, was ordered to bo handed over to the military authorities to bo dealt with.

A young woman, Evelyn Olga Brown, appeared to answer the charge of Deing an idle person and keeping bad company. Inspector Hendrey told the Court that she had come from imncdin. to AVellington to see her father off with the 13th. Reinforcements, nnd had ialleu among women of ill-repnte. Detective Andrews supported- this, statement. "Unless,"..observed, the Inspector, "this girl, she is only "eighteen, is protected against herself, she will drift into evil ways." He asked that she bo sent to the' Salvation Army Home for a week until ho made inquiries about her in Duncdin mnong 'her relatives, and the Magistrate complied with ' this request, making an order accordingly. "There is a great deal of thieving go'ng on on board steamers," observed Chief-De-tective Boddam, "and its detection is not nlways easy.'' This was the introduction to the charge against Drnest John Coad, a married man with n wife and family, who pleaded guilty to the theft from Walter E. Thielman of a gladstone bag ' containing a suit r>! clothes and various other articles, tho whole being valued at .£lO 10s. The' owner was a passenger, nnd tho accused was one of the ship's crew, and such being the case the Chief-Detective asked that stringent measures should bo taken to put down such .practices. The accused was convicted' on his pleading and sentenced to one month's imprisonment.

A RESERVED DECISION. Mr. Eiddell delivered his feserved judgment in the case against Victor Cameron for the alleged theft of a bag of suga-, valued at 17s. The original charge at the hearing was; amended from "theft of a bag of sugar.froni the Wellington Harbour-Board" lo "froni some person or persons unknown." Then Mr. 11. P. O'Leary, - who defended accused, pleaded that Cameron should not be convicted, because .the polico had failed to provo that the sugar' was stolen at all. If n man' is in possession of any article, urged Mr. O'Leary, mere.possession evon under suspicious circumstances does not establish theft. In his judgment, Mr. Riddell said the caso against Cameron was very suspicious, and his ; story «s to how: he.came by the sugar could not bn regarded as true. But) it was distinctly kid down that "unless it is positively proved that the. goods- mentioned in the indictment have been stolen," the charge fails. Cameron, he added, must be discharged.