HOUSE OF ILL-FAME

Dominion, Volume 37, Issue 15, 13 October 1943, Page 8

HOUSE OF ILL-FAME

Mother Of Seven Children Before Court “It is a disgusting story. I can’t see bne redeeming feature in the case except perhaps that the woman does not appear to have made much money out .of it, said Senior Sergeant G. Paine, in the Magistrates’ Court, Wellington, yesterday, when Catherine Ann. Daley, widow, aged 29, was charged with keeping a house of ill-fame in Adams Terrace. She was sentenced by Mr. Stout, S.M., to one month’s imprisonment. . . Senior Sergeant Paine said that Daley had seven children. Five of them were in an orphanage and the other two, who had been living with her, had now been taken by the Child Welfare Department. Since January Daley had rented a tworoom flat in Adams Terrace. It had one double bed and a cot for. the smaller child. The rent was 23/- a week and accused received £lO/13/G a month Social Security. ' ■ Complaints were received about the conduct of Daley and her visitors and in July a constable warned her and .another voung woman in the flat. Since September 13 the flat had been under observation and a shocking state of affairs was revealed. Daley and other -women frequently had sexual intercourse with members of the armed. forces—not only Americans —sometimes in the same bed in which a four-year-old child was gleeping. On only one occasion . was money seen to pass. Ou October 6 the flat was raided. Daley and servicemen were found under the influence of liquor; one woman was in bed with a marine; and a 16-year-old girl, who would appear in the Children’s Court, was present in the flati " Neighbours had suffered no end of trouble with servicemen calling at their homes by mistake. In the flat on occasions strip poker was indulged in. With each loss the players removed a garment till in the nude; then sexual intercourse took place. , For the defendant, Mr. G. Josepa said that she was more to be pitied than accused. She had seven children and, up to the death of her husband 15 months ago, had been a good wife and mother, looking after the children well and letting rooms to supplement the family income. After his death she was left with an income of only £lO/3/4 to pay rent and keep herself and two children. Stic was unable to go out to work. She had an unblemished reputation till, some months ago, a moral deterioration set in and she began drinking. When she was in desperate need food was brought to her by servicemen, and that was the innocent beginning of the unpleasant side of her life. She was not an evil woman and there was no suggestion by the police that she carried on her recent mode of life to earn money. The magistrate remarked that the cast, did not appear to be ns serious as some of its kind. hut. some penalty would have to he imposed.