AMMUNITION FOR AUTOMATIC PISTOL

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 265, 3 August 1921, Page 6

AMMUNITION FOR AUTOMATIC PISTOL

A FOREIGNER FINED. By Telegraph—Prose Association. Nelson, August 2. In the Magistrate’s Court to-day Andrew Strand was charged with being in unlawful possession of ammunition for an automatic pistol. Counsel said that defendant was very well known to the R.S.A. as a man of very excellent character. Defendant was a,' foreigner, who spoke English with some difficulty, and there must have been a mutual misunderstanding between him and the police. Defendant, who was a seaman, went to register a pistol, but was not aware that ammunition bed to bo handed in. When he was approached by a constable the ammunition was immediately handed in. A police witness said that objection was taken by the Police Department to defendant retaining his pistol as tho report was not favourable. Cross-examined, the witness said that he knew that defendant was born in Denmark, and was a naturalised British subject. Constable Mackenzie said that there was no evasion by defendant, and that he knew him as a man of good character. The .Magistrate said it was quite clear that an offence had been committed but ho took into consideration the fact that defendant was a man of good character, and that nothing was known against him. He ordered that the ammunition be forfeited to the Crown and fined defendant 10s., with 7s. costs.