A Wellington Lawyer in Trouble

Feilding Star, Volume VII, Issue 82, 19 December 1885, Page 3

A Wellington Lawyer in Trouble

Some verj extraordinary proceerliugs took pluce privately on Saturday aficrnooa in (lie Resident Maajistrute's Court in Ireference to a criminal charge preferred against a member of the legnl profession in this city. Thfc authorities absolutely decline to «ive any. information on i he subject, but so far as we can ascertain, the facts are as follows : — The information is laid under the 74th clause of the Larceny AcL for the misappropriation of a sum or £83, entrusted to the person named with specific instructions «s to the purpose for which it was to be used, and the case is tlierofore precisely similar to Waring; Taylor's. No regular cummons or warrant, it is believed, was issued on the information, nor were the police called on to arrest, but in some way theoerion charged camebri ore M r War.lell on Saturday, long after office hours, was -formally charged with the* offence, and -fiten remanded until the sth of January, 1) i I beifcg ■ accepted and forthcoming. Tl.e imiljs said to fee that of accused in £M) :nul that of his clerk in £50, but it is difficult to obtain reliable details, as the Court officers declare they are entirely isnnrnnt of the proceedings. Tho secrecy obserred has caused a good deal of com* ment in the city to-day, and it is certainly not of a character favorable; to the extraordinary course pursued. Of course a magistrate has power to take the prelfiniriary examination in an indictable case : prirately, when it may " appear to hittr that the ends of justice,, will be oest answered by so doing." It is difficult to <eehow this ground cao 7 * be- alleged in justification 41 the action' taken m regard ta the preaent case- The remand to the £th January is, however, quite irregular, «8 no magistrate can remand' a person charged with an indictable offence, for more than eight days at a time,, and It ls^ very (questionable, therefore, whether the" bail will be any good after eight day's dapftf.T-^PMt.;