MAGISTRATES COURT.

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 249, 15 July 1919, Page 7

MAGISTRATES COURT.

A SERIOUS CHARGE AGAINST PETONE RESIDENT A. young man named t .Roy Albert Pelnney appcare.il belore INli". K Page, S.M., at the Magistrate's Court .yesterday, to answer a ciiargo. of. having committed .a serious offence on.a.Jiltle girl, aged nine years. Tho, offence was alleged to .have been committed at l'etone .011 \Satu'rday night. Inspector Marsack applied for, a-, refund till July .22.. Mr. I'..,AV. Jackson, who appeared.for Hie accused, said that lie would like to tako . tliis • opportunity .of entering a etrong protest against ah. .ni'Ciclo which appeared, in. a newspaper yesterday concerning the case. He did not_ know whether His Worship had, , rend it, but others may Jiavo done so, and it was an article which waa calculated to-pro-, judico the accused considerably in his defence. It was a.-, most improper; articlo to Write at this stage of the ;pro-. ceediiigs, Tho article was grossly; unfair, No man was deemed to bo guilty until ho had,been found t» by 11 jury. The paper appeared to assume thai, tho, I'iuan was guilty before ho' was tried. .."Istrongly protest," concluded Mr. Jackson. . ..His. Worshipl will'.note what you.say, .Mr. Jackson..' I.have not yet read .the article--you refer to, .. . CHARGE OP-. THEFT WITHDRAWN. .•■John-'Fleming M'Callum appeared on' remand' to answer a charge of theft of a brief bag. .'■"•-•■ Setiims'jcrgeunt Willis stated 'that in consequence' of inquiries made by' tho polico lie desired to withdraw the charge. Uii Friday last tho defendant cama ashore' from, his steamer and.- had several : drinks.7 Ho lost his own brief bag. and .took .the other .one in'mistake..' ■His "Worship consented to tbo application and discharged tho defendant. \ . OTHER POLICE CASES. A fino of was imposed oii Leonard Taylor, who did not appear to answer •a charge of obstructing tho police. At oho timo the defendant was drunk, and as-he: was sailing by the Ruahine he left it .deposit of .-ita.., ' For drunkenness ho | was convicted and discharged. -

Roy Harry Andrew's, a sergeant-major in the Now, Zealand- Medical Corps, was remanded- till to-day on a chargo of .theft of two rings, valued at dCS 10s„ tho property- of .Annie AVilson. Bail was ■allowed in the sum of ,£25 and one s.urety of J225. Stanley Roy Edwards wlis remanded till July 18 on a charge of . theft of a motor-oar, valued at ilsoo, tho property of J. O'Neill. Tho theft is alleged to have been committed at Hastings.

On a charge, of being- a rogue and vagabond, Charles M'Geahan was convicted and ordered • to; come up for sentence when called upon within-six mouths. . It-was shown by the.. police, that the accused-had not done any work for sSinotime. The accused said that lie could get work, and it was on this understanding'that lie was released. * A sentence of Seven days' imprisonment, with hard labour, was imposed on William Charles llhrvey, who was charged with drunkenness and with a breach of his prohibition order. He liad_ been seven times- convicted' for drunkenness and had also-been, convicted soven times for breaches of his order. ■Walter Andrews was • fined ,£1 for breaking his prohibition order, and lie wbb 'also brdered to riay 17s. Gil. medical expenses. ■ For drunkenness, he was.'convicted .and discharged. For a breach of her prohibition order •Ma tide Grant was fined -J53, and for drunkenness she was convicted and. discharged. Fivo first offenders for drunkenness were each fined IDs. . ARREARS. IN. MAINTENANCE. - • William-iSee. Taylor, whoso-arrears iur . respect ofa maintenance ordor amounted to jt'6123.,-.was.sentenced, to one month's • imprisonment,,,! the ,-warrant to be suspended; so-long as GOs. per week- is-paid "oil the original order; and .CI per week is paid-oft'.tlie-arrears. Charles-' Badger,• whose arrears' in resped; of a' maintenance order to <£15 155., was sentenced to ono month's imprisonment, the warrant to be suspended so-long as. 40s. per week is paid off .the arreatti'A .similar sentence,-with a- likp condition, wos .-imposed on William-Valentine Straclian, whose arrears amounted td j:9. He .was also ordered to pay 40s. per week off, the arrears.