MAGISTRATE'S COURT, HOKITIKA

Hokitika Guardian, 23 April 1920, Page 3

MAGISTRATE'S COURT, HOKITIKA

FRIDAY, APRIL 23rd

(Before Messrs H. M. Coulson and W Jeffries, Justices).

Roy Rurrowes was charged on remand

with the theft of 2 pair boots and two

coats, the property respectively of J. S. Langford, T. Ileare, J. W. Downey and P. Romas. Mr S'cllers appeared for ac- ' cused, who pleaded not guilty asd elected. to he dealt with Summarily. Sergt McCarthy for the prosecution, ■ led evidence. ! Charles Albert Hood gave evidence that in company with accused on Tuesday evening last, lie west into the Dominion Hotel. They went upstairs .and took two coats and two pairs of boots, and went down out of the hotel by the fire escape at the back. Both were under the influence of liquor. They took the articles to the Dunedin Hotel, I where they packed them in their swag. Burrowes was very drunk at the time, and could only stagger along. To Mr Sellers—Burrowes was with j witness when lie took the coats from the Dominion Hotel and he knew witness ; was not staying theye. They were both drunk at the time. Constable Quinn gave evidence that he was present when the accused opened the sack at the police station from which the stolen articles had been previously removed. Accused claimed as his own some of the articles remaining. He stated that they had been packed with Hood’s, and said he did not remember where ho had been on Tuesday night. Sergt McCarthy deposed that on Wednesday morning as a result of enquiries he went to the harbor shed and got a sack addressed to Hood, Bruce Bay. Opened the sack at the Police Station in the presence of Hood. The articles therein included the stolen ones. The other articles were stated by Hood not to belong to him. They did not appear to have beon packed by a drunken man. He hud to go to the bottom of the sack to find the stolen articles. M r Sellers held that there was no case to answer by the Bench ruled otherwise. Mr Sellers then called the accused,! Roy Burrowes, who deposed he was a pointer, staying at the Dunedin Hotel. He was with Hood on Tuesday and had been drinking heavily. He did not remember being in the Dominion Hotel on Tuesday evening and had no recollection of anything that happened there. He packed the hag on Wednesday morning. There were other articles in’the sack when he put his things in. Hood and witness were going to work south as mates. He did' not remember going .home to the Dunedin Hotel that night, but woke up there next morning. The Bench intimated that they were not satisfied with the evidence of defendant ,and considered he was equally culpable with Hood, He would be fined £lO, in default three months’ imprisonment, three months being given for payment to be made in instalments. Mr Sellers entered a protest at the decision of the Bench. Sergt McCarthy said he was of opinion j that the accused was .the victim of circumstances and ho hoped that lie would pull himself together.