Jail for Nelson Man- Theft and Unpaid Maintenance

Grey River Argus, 1 June 1948, Page 6

Jail for Nelson ManTheft and Unpaid Maintenance

Appearing before Mr A. A. McLachlan, S.M., in the Greymouth Magistrate’s Court yesterday morning, a young man, who pleaded guilty to charges of theft of a bicycle and a radio at Nelson and Dunedin respectively, and to being £29g_in arrears with maintenance due to his wife, was sentenced to nine months’ imprisonment. On the maintenance charge he was sentenced to. prison for six months, on the charge of stealing the radio to three months, and he was convicted and discharged on the charge of stealing the bicycle. The prison terms are to be cumulative. Patrick Mcßae, the man concerned had, said Detective Sergeant N. Thompson, purchased a bicycle on a hire purchase agreement at' Blenheim, paying a deposit of £5 The value of the machine was £25 13s 6d. He had agreed to pay weekly instalments of 10s. However he had gone to Blenheim and sold the cycle there to a dealer for £lO. The radio was purchased from Robert Francis in Greymouth on a hire purchase agreement. A deposit of £3 was paid. The value of the machine was £32. '' <m deposit usually accepted by the firm was £6. Accused had stated that he had only £3, and would bring the other £3 in the following Monday. Accused stated that he had loaned the radio to a nurse in Dunedin. He did not know her name or whereabouts. Police enquiries had so far failed to trace the machine. For the accused Mr W. D. Taylor said that he had been released from prison in September of last year, after having served a sentence for bigamy. He was* at present on compensation. He would return to work at the Haast, where he was engaged, if the Magistrate consented, under the direction of the probation officer.

Regarding the maintenance charge Mr Taylor agreed with the Magistrate that his client had paid only £lO since the order was made. He was sentenced at stated.

ACCIDENT SEQUEL Alexander H. W. Davy was fined 20s with 10s costs for failing to give way to the right at an intersection. The charge arose from an accident at the corner of Johnson and Gresson Streets in which accused’s vehicle was involved in a collosion with a car driven by Arthur Peter Hansen. Accused admitted in a voluntary statement to the police that the liability for the accident was his. He stated that his vision was not good at the time as his wind screen was blurred.

Pleading guilty to a charge of being found on licensed premises when such premises were closed and also with having failed to give his name and address to a constable when ordered to do so, John Douglas Anderson was fined 10s with 10s costs on the first count and 10s wth 15s costs on the second. He stated that he had gone there to look for a bicyle. “You don’t want to get on a bicycle when you are drunk,’’ remarked Mr McLachlan when he passed sentence. UNREGISTERED DOG A charge of not having a dog registered after it had reached the age of six months was preferred against Brian lan R. Reid, of Cobden. He was fined 10s with 10s costs. TAXATION DEFAULT Charles Wollin was fined £2 with £2 2s costs and £2 2s solicitor’s fee for failing to make a return of income for the financial year’ ended March 31, 1947. Mr Kitchingham for the Income Tax Department stated that taxpayers had an obligation to make their returns. Although the department could make default assessments these assessments were sometimes wrong. If the assessments were in excess of the 'true figure the individual soon took steps to reduce it, whereas if the assessment was lower than the true figure, the taxpayei’ said nothing, he added. Warnings had been sent accused. For Wollin, Mr C. R. McGinley stated that the Department could gain an idea of accused’s earnings from the returns put in by the employers. The employers had undertaken to provide such returns. Hugh McKenna, who did not appear was fined 10s and 10s costs for being found drunk in Mackay Street on Saturday evening. Two men were each fined 10s with 10s costs for being found on licensed premises after hours. For riding a bicycle without a light in Sturge Street, Cobden, Jack Preston Hutchings was fined 10s and 10s costs. Although he had a lamp attached to the front of the cycle Plutchings did not have this going. Asked the reason by Constable C. Scanlon he stated that he was conserving batteries.