MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 147, 11 March 1918, Page 6

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Mr. S. E. M'Carth.y, S.M., presided : at the Magistrate's-,Court on Saturday and dealt with the police cases. For .insobriety, one first offender was fined 205., in default forty-eight hours' imprisonment, and another was fined 10s., with the alternative of twentyfour hours' imprisonment. James Allen, seaman, pleaded guilty to absenting himself from his ship without leave.. Ho was convicted and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon, and to report to tho police at 9 a.m. each day. Isaac Fawcett, marine fireman*, was charged with assaulting v Percival F. Chowles, the chief officer of the ship, also with assaulting Constable 11. 51. M'Callum while in tho execution of his The accused was imbued with the idea that tho chief officer of the vessel had no authority over him, hence when ho was spoken to over a matter of climbing on to the ship by way ot the cargo net, instead of by the gangway, and leaving the ship without leave, he punched the chief officer and later in tho presence of Constablo M'Callum struck the. officer again. When the police officer was about to take the accused into custody the attitudo taken up by the other firemen was dangerous and reinforcements had to be obtained. In the tho accused had hidden and was ultimately found in a shed on the Taranalu Street Wharf,'' having again left tlio ship without going down the gangway. When tho constablo was on the vessel ho had a struggle with accused, and during the scufflo the constable's little finger" was bitten rather badly. Mr. 11. E. Evans, who appeared for tho captain of the vessel concerned, said that tho offenco was regarded as a serious one, and he asked His Worship to make an example of the accused. Fawcett was sentenced to three months' imprisonment for assaulting the constable and was convicted .and ordered to come up for sentence when called upon for assaulting the chief: officer.