MAGISTRATE'S COURT
USE OF OBSCENE LANGUAGE
TOO COMMON AN OFFENCE
"This class ;of,;pffencß is becoming altogether too" comiiion, and unless it stops I will have to impose n term of imprisonment;"'remarked Mr. E. Page, S.M., in the Magistrate's Court yesterday, in Jealing ...with a .charge of using obsceno language which was preferred against a young man named George Saddington. '••Thei; defendant 'coiiimittbd■ tliti;-- offence while'"standing- ut the corner::of,' Miifiners>n&'; AVilliS Streets." A fin'o;of.£lo' wiiS'-iniposcdj, with- the, alternative of fourteen : days' imprisonment. _ ' • Leslie James Meiklejolm was similarly charged. In. his case the language had heen used in Cuba Street when the thoroughfare -was crowded, and it had been directed against two young men in Territorial uniform. The defendant had followed the young- -men up the street,, repeatedly addressing, them in obsceno. terms, and taking them to task for not' : having been to the war. : Mr. H. F. O'Leary,- who appeared for the accused, said that the latter was in Wellington oh holiday from the south. He was a returned soldier' who had been badly wounded, and the few drinks he had taken had temporarily deranged his mind. The Magistrate fined Meiklcjohn JUS and costs, with the option of twentyone, days', imprisonment. Still another man was arraigned for a similar ..offence. The defendant in this case was Gustavo Nelson, a married man. with' a family. ' He had directed a stream of obscene language against a constable who was escorting him to the Taraiiaki police station on a charge of drunkenness. His Worship fined Nelson £5. the alternative being fixed at seven days! imprisonment^ INGRATITUDE. An apology was tendered by a young seafaring man named William John Roberts to Thomas Manning, whom ho was charged 1 with assaulting. • The facts disclosed were that Manning went out of his way to help the defendant, who was under the influence of liquor, to get aboard his ship. On the way, Roberts turned round and thrice struck Manning. Tho defendant told tho Magistrate that he was very sorry for his action. Ho would never have committed the assault had he been sober, A fine of was inflicted.
GOOD INTENTIONS,
William Jackson Micliison, who told the Magistrate that his intentions were good, as he only borrowed the article, ■ was charged with the theft of a watch valued at £5 10s„ the property of Don-, aid . Josiah Blair. The accused, it appeared, had been employed as cook to a gang of telegraph linesmen at Shannon, and 'had taken the watch while the men were all absent from tho camp. Ho left the camp and subsequently deposited the watch with an hotelk'eeper as security for money borrowed. ' The police arrested him oil another charge of theft for which he had been sentenced. Tho Magistrate sent the accused to gaol for a further term of two months. • OTHER POLICE CASES. .. Charles Johnson was fined ,£2 on a charge of indecency: Walter Newell was convicted of insobriety, and was discharged, lie was, however, fined i! 5 on a charge of resisting Constable Dowlilig. .
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Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 181, 27 April 1920, Page 3
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502MAGISTRATE'S COURT Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 181, 27 April 1920, Page 3
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