SUPREME COURT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 121, 8 February 1918, Page 9

SUPREME COURT

His Honour Mr. Justice Hosking presided over the Supreme Court yesterday, when the hearing of criminal cases was resumed. Mr. P. S. K. Macassey, of the Crown Law Office, appeared for tlio Crowii. William Henry Gardiner, a barman, appeared in tlio dock to answer a charge of indecently, assaulting a female aged 12 years and 4 months at Wellington on November 27. Mr. Alexander Dunn appeared for' the accused. Mr. John Hart Oweii was the foreman of the jury. For the prosecution it was alleged that the accused took the little girl to the Basin Reserve, and that it was there that tho assault took place. Accused in his evidence admitted that he was with the girl on the date in question, hut stated that there was no impropriety. . ' The hearing of the case occupied nearly the whole day. The jury retired at 4 p.in., and shortly afterwards brought in a verdict of guilty, recommending the prisoner to tho clemency of the Court as tho off once was not an aggravated one. Sentence was deferred until Saturday. John Slines, for whom Mr. H. FO'Leary appeared, was charged on six counts of~ indccent assault on males. The accused is a boilermaker at Evans Bay' Patent Slip, and tho offences were alleged to have taken place in that neighbourhood in August of last year. The hearing of the case had not r.oncludcd when the Court adjourned. NEW PLYMOUTH SESSION. '- AN ESTATE CASE, , By Telegraph—Press Association. New Plymouth, February 7. In the Supreme Court to-day, before Mr. Justice Edwards, a claim was made by Hamilton Gilmer and the Public Trustee (executor in the estate of Allan Macguiro) against Laura Berry for a three-fourths share of tho estate of Allan Jlacguiro. Defendant was unrepresented. Sir John Findlay, who appeared for tho plaintiffs, said that defendant's husband had been in partnership with Gilmer ami Macguiro as ironmongers in New Plymouth. Berry had a three-fourths share in the business, the othors a one-eighth share each. At the death of Macguire, the business was placed in the hands of a receiver to ascertain the value of Maguiro's estate for probate. During the receiver's investigations he discovered that Berry had assigned, without tho knowledge of his partners, his three-fourths interest in the freehold property of the business, which was calculated in tho assets of the business, to his wife. His Honour gave judgment, declaring the freehold property to bo part of the assets of the partnership and that defendant was a trustee of tho three-fourths share registered iu her name. Further consideration was reserved, with liberty to either party to apply.