DECEIVING A MILITARY SERVICE BOARD

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 310, 25 September 1918, Page 8

DECEIVING A MILITARY SERVICE BOARD

SOLDIER. FINED' £10. By Tnlegraph-I'ress Association. ChriStChurch, September H. At the Kaugiora. Magistrate's Court to-day, before Ah: Bailey, S.M., Ernest Frederick Ward, who appeared in khaki, was charge thai he aid wilful!;? attempt to deceive tho Military Service Board in the exercise of its jurisdiction by stating that, his lather was not assisting on his farm, and that his lather Has keeping a hotel in Dunedin at the time accused was giving evidence before the board, accused well knowing such statements to be false. A plea, of guilty was entered. Counsel said accused, who was 23 years of ago, up to tho time of the offence had been of unblemished character. Accused and his brother had a farm at Glenmark. The brother was called up with the Twenty-seventh -Reinforcements, and left the accused to look after his interests. In his anxiety to preserve his owji and his brother's interest in the property, his judgment failed him in tho commission of the offenoa with which ho stood charged. Accused ]iad gone into camp, had gained his lance-corporal's strips; and the camp atithoritcs gave him an excellent record. Accused desired him to express deep contrition for his offence, which he felt would be a blemish on his character for life. He had suffered puivish-n-orit already by the wide publiicty given to the case by the newspapers. Counsel asked the Magistrate to treat the accused exactly as ho would be treated if before a Judge and seeking probation, which he had no doubt would, under the circumstances, be granted. • ■ The Magistrate, after commenting on the seriousness of the offence, said tho case was an exceptional one, in fact the first yet dealt with. Ho was glad to see that the young man had done well whilst in military service, and ho did not wish to send him to prison. Ho thought a fine would meet tho case, but he wished it known that any offender coming before .'him on a similar charge would be /severely dealt with. Accused was fined £10, villi costs.