MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 285, 28 August 1919, Page 7

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

THEFT FSOU AN HOTEL

21 DAYS' IMPRISONMENT IMPOSED Joseph Jii'ines Carr and James Tlionms Curkett were charged before Mr. K. Page, i 5.11., at the Magistrate's Court yesterday witli theft of articles of c'.otliing from an hotel. One charge concerned the theft' of an overcoat valued at. ,£5, tho property of George Kingslone, and tlio other ohaTge related .to tlio theft of a suit of clothcs and other articles valued in all at .£2O, the property of Joseph Farris i\linnings. Jioth accused had been on a drinking bout, and whilst, drunk annexed the articles. The men were sentenced to 21 days' imprisonment on each charge, the sentences to run concurrently.

ALLEGED INDECENT rTlie. Court, was cleared duriug the hearing of tlio ;evidence in the case of a young Wan named Gilbert Gordon Sutlitrlej, who was charged with committing aii indecent assault on a littlo girl at .Tt.linsoiiville on August IG. The prosecution whs conducted by 'De-tective-Sergeant Rawle, and Sir. 11. P. O'Leary appeared for the defendant. At the conclusion of the evidence the accuscd pleaded not guilty, and ■ was committed to the Supremo Court for trial.

DISLIKE FOR WORK. Thomas Henry To Puni pleaded guilty to a charge ot failing to maintain liiß wife and children. ' Mr. E. P. Bunny, who appeared on behalf of Mrs. Te l'uni, said that the defendant was fit and able to work, but was far too lazy to do so. The defendant hud had considerably interests in Native Land at l'etone, out lately he had been living a life that was anything but a credit to him. He had refused to work, and lnul teen coming homo in an intoxicated condition, and had beaten his wife. There was no furniture in the : house, and ■Mrs. Te I'uni had been compelled to go oilt to work to provide herself and the two children with food. Counsel asked that separation, maintenance, and guardianship orders be made, and that the defendant be ordered to iind a security. Constable Lumber, of, Petone, stated that the defendant disliked work. Mrs.. Te Puni had been forced to mortgage the' household furniture order to obtain food, and as she was unable to meet hor liabilities the furniture waß seized. The defendant said that his interest") in the Native* land amounted to about £7 per annum. The Magistrate granted the orders, and ordered defendant to nav ,£1 per week maintenance, and to find a security of •£2,5 as a guarantee that the onto would be complied with.

'OTHER, POLICE CASES. Edward Myers, alias Myer Myers, was remanded for sentence till! September 3 on a okirgo of theft of a gold-mounted greenstone brooch,'valued at ct2, the property of Clark and Morris. AVl»n charged with the ollence the accused pleaded guilty, and Detective-Sergeant Rawlo applied for tlio remand. The circumstances surrounding the theft were that on Tuesday the accused entered the jewellery establishment of Clark and Morris aiid aslwd to see some. brooches. The request was complied with, and a tray of various styles was produced. AVhilst the assistant's back wa? turned the accused appropriated a brooch and afterwards left the shop. The theft was nt once noticed, and the matter reported to tho pdlice. Shortly "'afterwards the' accused was identified and arrested by Detective Torrcnee, who searched him and recovered tho stolen brooch. Bail<y;as refused. A. remand till September 3 was granted in tho cane in which a lad named Victor Hugo Greaves, aged 17 years, was clmi'goii with having broken and entered premises of AV. J. Staples and Co. ■and stole therefrom four pairs of boots valued nt £5 2s. Sub-Inspector Emerson remarked it was desired to.make further inquiries, as it was snsjfoetod that a younger boy' was implicated in .the affair On a charge of indecency a married man named John Edgar Simpson was remanded till. September U, bail being allowed in the sum of iSO. The nfi'enee was alleged to have been committed in Bolton Street enrf.y this month. / A fine of ,£5 was imposed on Timothy Joseph ICeCleher, .who was charged with cmnmiltinir an indecent act in Parish Street. . The Magistrate remarked that the offence was becoming somewhat common, and if it were persisted in the anestion of inflicting terms of imprisonment •would li.ivp to he considered. , Six first offenders for. drunkenness, were fined ss. each, and two others were fined 10s. each. MT. COOTv POLICE COURT. At a sitting of the Mount Cook Police Court yesterday, presided over by Mr. G. Petherick, J.P., Henry Lawson AValker was jined 20s. or three days' imprisonment for insobriety. '