SHARP PRACTICES

Dominion, Volume 20, Issue 55, 29 November 1926, Page 10

SHARP PRACTICES

TRIED ONCE TOO OFTEN THEATRE PROGRAMME AS £lO NOTE Dominion, Special. Auckland, November 28. “They have been living ou their wits and getting money by sharp practices, ’’ said Chief-Detective Cummings tn the Magistrate’s Court yesterday, when Thomas Francis Durran, aged 22, and Kenneth George, aged 2t>, pleaded guilty to charges oi being idle and disorderly in that they habitually consorted with reputed thieves The chief-detective said the men had habitually associated with reputed thieves. ..." On Thursday afternoon they met a well-known man who. had a few drinks. They took him to a lane beside the chief post office and suggested he should enter into a bet of £lO One of the accused undertook to deposit £lO with,a reputable person if the other party also deposited £lO The responsible man later became suspicious and 'investigated the £lO note which the accused proposed to deposit. It turned out to be a crumpled pink coloured theatre programme. One of the accused’ said ,to the man who . prevented them from carrying out their plan, “Why did you spoil it? We would have given you something out of the £lO if we had got it ” Mr. Cummings said the accused had been'getting a living for some time by sharp practices Durran had a number .of previous convictions, and had suf'feted several terms of imprisonment. He was recently fined £25 for playing “pegla” at the. Royal Show. George was a recent arrival .and little was known about him, but he could only be judged by the company he kept. He had invented the trick concerning the £lO bet. He had onlv Is. on him when . arrested.

c! The Magistrate: “We do not want you two kicking about at Christmas. Vou- will each be sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.” ' Colin Thomas Edwards pleaded guilty to being idle and disorderly, and not guiltv to stealing an overcoat valued at £S. ■

Mr. Cummings said the accused was associated with Durran and George The three would’ wait for men at Christmas-tipie obtain money by false, pretences. Accused was a “guesser” and did not work. Mr Cutten said that accused was young and it 'might be best to send him to the Borstal Institute. As there was a doubt whether he was too old to be sent to the institution, he Was remanded for sentence to enable his age to be verified.