FINED £60

Evening Star, Issue 23694, 30 September 1940, Page 4

FINED £6O

GAMING ACT PROSECUTION A fine of £6O was inflicted by the magistrate (Mr H. W. Bundle) when Henry Edward Scott (54V pleaded guilty in the Police Court this morning to having used his premises in Musselburgh as a common gaming house. Mr G. B. P. Wilson appeared for the defendant. Chief-detective Holmes said that when Detectives Russell and Marshall visited Scott’s premises with a search warrant at 10.45 o’clock on Saturday morning, they found a list of bets taken that day and l amounting to £lO 2s. Defendant, who was married, with one child, had boon betting steadily for a number of years, and was in comfortable circumstances. He was well aware of the risks he was taking, and had Jmen once previously convicted, in 1933. So far as the police knew he had no other occupation.

Mr Wilson said that the list produced by the police would show that the bets made were all small ones, none exceeding £l. Another list covering operations on the previous Saturday showed only £4 odd, so that, counsel submitted, the defendant was certaintly not operating in a big way. Further, during the half-hour the police had been on the premises no bets had come over the telephone, and defendant had no one in charge apart from himself. Scott had, in 19.15, been ordered by his doctor to give up his occupation of a signwritcr because of failing eyesight. He had been doing odd jobs since. t The Magistrate pointed out that the previous conviction had been in 1913. His Worship added that the evidence did. not disclose that defendant was in a very big way. There had. however, been this previous conviction, end defendant would bo lined £0(1, with costs (Ills).