BETTING CASES

Dominion, Volume 10, Issue 3106, 9 June 1917, Page 9

BETTING CASES

ACCUSED IN COURT > SOME HEAVY FINES IMPOSED The sequel to the raid made by'the Police oil a hairdresser's establishment on Lanibton Quay was enacted iu the fe ycstttda " 'afternoon. ■ IveZhZ «t- n l "r* OnS - were chai 'S«l with Mcaciies ot the Gammg Act Mr 1, O , R< ™» on the* Bench • J ' wJfh k eUl ' y Price was cl > ar ged that, fen\ s mV 1U r»|« of premises same \ , La ">Mou Quay, did use w",if „* « m ">0» gaming-house, an.l worecW, "\ tIX •;i nd ,lolul Seaty West k conduct W Tlth aSsistil, K Price ™ tlie I K v r?T a oommon gannng-houso. Mr. i ry , a PPeavetl for all threo rV^sO vho ffuilty. Chref-Detoctivo Boddam staled that, > aimed \vith a search warrant, DetectiveSergeant Cox, Detective-Sergeant Carnev, and Constable Black searohed the premises occupied by Price, and a large amount of correspondence relating t betling, race-cards, etc., were found. The correspondence showed that a largo amount of business was done with the outside public in single and double betl "?'-™- Tlre 0,ltl "ios wero made by Smith . and West, and they assisted Price in the . business. Price was at tho head of the . business, and West was' his betting partner. Smith, it was' only fair to say, was a hairdresser, and was employed as such by Price, and althoughMie took money on behalf of Price ho received iio monetary benefit. Prico was not a first offender in this respect. Numerous complaints had reached the police regarding such establishments, and ho asked for a heavy penalty in Price's case. Mr. 11. V. O'Leary stated that tho section under which these tibarges wero laid provided no minimum fine. Referring to Smith, ho said it was quite true that Smith was employed by Price, and no doubt-'ho was foolish in making the entries', but ho thought in, was all right doing so for his employer. West had sufficient to livo upon, and •was in indifferent health. Ho was a friend of Prico and helped him. West had never been beforo the Court previously: .-With respect to Price, Air. O'Leary slated that, if tho books were cxainiued it would bo found that Prico was in this matter purely a commissioner for somebody else/ Prico had struggled along for years, and tho temptation to ..make a littlo more money was too strong for him. ' . ' •! . The Magistrate fined Pi-ice- ,£4O, with tho option of two months' imprisonment; West was fined Ji'iO, in the alternative one month's imprisonment. Smith was iinod '.tilO, the alternative in his case being twenty-one- days' imprisonment. Denis My, Holland William Andrews, William Thomas C. Wortley, George A. Peacock, and Thomas Harding were' churged with being found without lawful excuso in a common gaminghouse. I'oley and Andrews pleaded guilty, and the others not guilty. Mr. P. W. Jackson appeared for Wortley. It was shown in evidenco that nothing was found on Wortley when ho was searched, but before the search took placo Wortley told Constable Tricklebank that ho had taken gome pa pel's out of his (pocket and left them at Price's. These papers, when recovered, were found to •consist of race-cards, etc. All tho five accused were convicted and .' fined 20s. each. 'BETTING ON LICENSED PREMISES. Albert William Organ had two charges preferred against him of betting on licensed premises. Mr. H. P. O'Leary appeared for accused. Chief-Detective Boddam stated that the defendant kept a bookstall in the vestibule of tho Grand Hotel, and in connection with this he carried on the business of a bookmaker in, a small way. He had not been before the Court previously. Mr. H. P. O.'Leary, on behalf of accused, who pleaded guilty to tho first charge, said that the minimum fine that could be imposed was .£2O; that being so, and this being Organ's 'first offence, he thought that nothing more than the minimum fine should be imposed. Furthermore, owing to this trouble, accused

would be compelled to closo his bookstall in the hotel and endeavour to make a start somewhere else. Organ -was iincd' ££>, with the option of a mouth's imprisonment. The police withdrew the- second charge. COBNHILL STREET RAID. On Tuesday last Detective-Sergeant Cox, with Detective-Sergeant Carney and Constable Black, searched the premises of a. dealer named Albert Yanco Stewart in Conihill Street, and yesterday Stewart was charged with keeping a common gaming-house. George Dyhrberg, in the employ of Stewart, was charged with assisting in the conduct of a gaminghouse, and he was further charged with betting in a public place. He. pleaded guilty to tho second charge, and sentenco was deferred until tho other charge had been heard. \ Mr. M. Myers appeared, for both accused, and Chief-Detective Boddam prosecuted. Tho caso against Stewart was taken first. Detectivo Cox gave details of the search made of tho premises, and of the papers, race-cards, etc., found. In cross-examiim. tiou witness stated that the bookmaker.') employed different colours for their racecards, lie had never known Stewart to issue a betting-card or a race-card. When the premises wdl-o searched only the accused nnd two. of his employees were there: Constable W. IT. Stewart gavo evidenco to the effect that, while sitting in a billiard-room, he was approached by n man, whom he afterwards discovered was Dyhrberg, who showed hira a.double bottingicard. Witness selected two horses, and a bot was made at .£2O to -Is. Dyhrberg gave witness his business card, on which was inscribed "A. V. Stewart, Rubber and Metal Merchant, Cornhilt Street," and said if witness wanted to make further bets ho would find him at the address given' on tho card or in the billiard-room where'they then wore. On Tuesday at noon witness went to thopremises in Cornhill Street, when another bet was made. Stewart was in his office at tho time, just about .a yard away from witness, aud sjicke to tho latter. Witness asked for and obtained a race-card for tho Otaki races, and was told to come around after 2 p.m. if ho wanted to make- any more bets. Witness went lo the place at 2.40 p.m. and offered to make another bet,\ but Stewart replied: "Too late. IVo\ aro not making any more bets to-day." Constable Pawcolt, who was with Constable Stewart in tho billiard-room, and who also made bets with Dyhrberg in tho Cornhill Street premises, gavo evidence. Tho caso had not concluded at 5 p.m., and tho further hearing was adjourned to 10.30 a.m. to-day.