MAGISTRATE'S COURT

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 305, 18 September 1920, Page 12

MAGISTRATE'S COURT

ASSAULT ON A WAITRESS. Mr. P. K. Hunt, S.M., dealt with the business presented' at the Magistrate's Co.mt yesterday. George Shaw," while drunk, wont into the Cafe de Paris restaurant and wanted something to eat, but his condition was such that he was refused a meal, and he was asked to leave tho premises. Annoyed at this, he used very offensive language to the waitress, and also assaulted her Shaw w;is convicted and fir.ed .£5, and expenses 125., in default 14 days' imprisonment. ' William Cotter, for whom Mr. A. B. Sievwright appeared, was charged thati on March 27 he did steal a perambulator, I value .£5, also .£3 18s. in money, and pawn tickets, the property of Florence Wilson. The complainant was sentenced some time ago t<> three months' imprisonment, and when the woman wont to gaol, the defendant, who had been living .with her, wns alleged to have stolen her rioiicv, which ho was to have handed to Mr. P. ,W. Jackson, who had defended the wc-m'au, and also (he perambulator, which lie was stated to have sold. The defence was that the perambulator was purchased by the defendant with his own money. He admitted having taken the money, - and stated that he wns told by Mr. Jackson where the money was to he obtained. Ho understood that ho was to keep the money for his own use. He denied having stolen the pawn tickets, which wore valued at £3 12s. The Magistrate dismissed the charge of theft of the perambulator, but convicted Cotter of stealing the money nnd the pawn tickets,, and sent him to prison for a month, Charles T. B. Mills wns charged with the theft of a man's watch, valued at 80s., the property of James Hyiulman. Chief-Detective Ward asked for a remand for a week, nnd stated that it was likely that a further and more serious chaiito would lie brought against the accused. The remand was granted, and the defendant was allowed bail in i'2o nnd one surety of a like amount.

Joseph li. !M. Morley, licensee of the Panama Hotel, was charged with opening his promises after prohibited hours, nnd also with selling liquor after hours. Mr. T. Young appeared for tho defendant. Tho facts were r .hat a man who was suffering from influenza went to tho ■ hotel early 'on a Sunday morning lasl month and asked for a drink of whisky. Tho licensee gave him a flask and told him he could pay for it some other day. The man was really ill, for ho was laid up for eight days. The Magistrate said that no doubt an offence was committed, but it was so trivial that he wa3 justified in dismissing the case. J. Jameson was charged with selling bonev without the naine and description of the article being on the package; also that the package did not contain tho name of the manufacturer nor yet tho weight of the contents. Mr. J. C. Peacock, who appeared for tho defendant, explained that Jnmesrn had run out of labels and sold the packages without labels. Thero was no suggestion" that there was short weight or that the honey was not of the best. Jameson was fined .El and costs.

For boarding a moving train at thn Lamhlon Station, a young .man named H. Hall w,as fined 10s., nnd costs 7s.

A juvenile who stole a. jersey belonging" to a fellow employee was severely admonished and discharged.

For failing t/, attend drill, D. Brewer, W. Hickling, and W. Prince, against whom there were several previous convictions, were each lined & and ordered tn pay 7s. costs; E. 11. Cooper was fined ids., and costs 7s„ and E. Moyr.ihnii ami E. It. Wilson were each fined 305., and 7s. costs.

An elderly man named George 11. Bennett was charged tluvt on .Tulv 30 he stole an overcoat valued at JCI2. the property of Atac. C. Falconer. Tlie fads were that the complainant, who is a manufacturer's agent, wns staying at the Grand ITotel, and while at dinnsr on the date in question the overcoat, was token from Iris I>edroom. A few days ago die accused wns seen going into a second-hand dealer's shop, and, when questioned, ho said he met a man in tho Museum about the time of the Wellington races in July, who had the overcoat, and said he was very hard up and wished to sell it. Bennett sai<l he bought the overcoat for £1 ICs., and sold it tn the second-hand dealer for 305., conditionally on being allowed to buv it back when in funds. The Magistrate refuwd tn believe the man's story, more especially as he had a bad record. Bennett was comicted and sentenced to three months' imprisonment. A en.se that was partly heard at Petone on Wednesday was concluded yesterday afternoon, when further evidence and legal argument was heard bv Mr. F. TC. TTunt. S.M. .Tames Stellin (Mr. C. A. L. Treadwein obtained from AVilliam .Tchn Webster (Mr. E. P. Bunnv) the sum of JC2S Ifa., the value of a plate-glass window, which was broken in May last by a partially-blind horse owned by tho defendant.' The. horse had strayed into Nelson Street, Petone. and being frightened by other horses attached to milk carte, crashed into the. shop window. A'ter hearing the evidence, the Magistrate gave -judgment for plaintiff for the amount claimed, with costs, holding that the responsibility wns on the defendant to keep his horse fnnn straying on to the public street