ALLEGED IMPERSONATION

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume XXXVII, Issue 4938, 12 February 1926, Page 2

ALLEGED IMPERSONATION

A WAIHI BEACH INCIDENT. _ ! A cose presenting s,omewhat extraordinary feature® was heard in the Magistrate’s, Court at Waihi on Wednesday, when Thomas H. Calligham, of Waikino, was charged with that, not being a member of (he police force, he did assume the .designation of a constable.

Senior-Sergeant McLean prosecuted, and Mr O’Neill appeared for the defence.

The evidence showed that some Hamilton youths who were camped at Waihi Beach were indulging in an al fresco bath near a creek in the camping area after a swim in the surf and were using buckets of fresh, water to clean themselves, when defendant approached with a pencil a,nd notebook and accused them of contaminating the drinking water. He represented himself to be a constable, and threatened to arrest one of the .alleged offenders.

Accused, on going into the box, denied the charge of impersonation, alleging that the evidence of the prosecution was false. The magistrate Baid that defendant evidently acted in the heat of (he moment and took a simple course. He would treat the offence as trivial and dismiss the charge under section 92 of the Justices of the Peace Ac(. Defendant was ordered to pay costs amounting to £4 18s, 6d.